When It All Hits Home---A Chicago Fire Story
by mom2jlg
Summary: Fast forward about six years...Kelly is happily married to Alyssa...and his sons are about to start kindergarten. Chapter 15 is up now!
1. Chapter 1

****This is a work in progress...I was going to save it...but my new friend Chicago Firestarter convinced me that I should put this out and see what everyone thought. I hope you like it!****

**Chicago Fire-about six years in the future. Kelly Severide has been married to Alyssa for six years and they have identical twin boys, Andy and Jesse, who are 5 ½ and about to start kindergarten.

They live on the far Northwest Side in a quaint little neighborhood that is very popular amongst firefighters and cops, who have to reside within city limits. Their little tree lined street is kind of like a throwback to another era where one knows all their neighbors and the kids all play together.**

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**When It All Hits Home**

Kelly Severide tucked his sons into bed and turned out the light. He stood in the doorway for a few moments and watched them in the glow of the night light.

"'Night, guys…go to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow." He said.

"'Night, Daddy…" Andy said sleepily. "I love you."

"I love you, Daddy…" Jesse said, then yawned.

Kelly felt his heart swell.

"Love you too, guys. Sleep tight…"

He closed the door softly and went back down the stairs.

If someone had told him eight years ago that he'd be happily married and the father of twins, he would have asked what they were smoking.

But here he was…going to spend some quality time with his beautiful wife…and his sons were starting kindergarten tomorrow.

He flopped down on the beat up leather couch next to Alyssa. She aimed the remote at the 43" plasma mounted on the opposite wall and turned the TV off.

"You got 'em down?" she asked.

"Yeah, finally." He told her. "They're just excited for tomorrow."

"I'm sure…"

"I wish I didn't have to be on shift."

It killed him that he couldn't take his boys to school on their first day.

"It'll be okay." Alyssa told him with a smile. "You'll be okay. You got to go today…"

That afternoon they had gone to the school to drop off the boys' school supplies and meet the teacher. Kelly couldn't get over how much crap you had to buy…and carry. Two 2"binders, plastic sleeves for said 2" binders, crayons _and_ markers, glue sticks, pencils…Kleenex, paper towels and disinfecting wipes. Not to mention uniforms and lunch accounts. And he had to double everything.

But they had found their desks in the large, sunny classroom and he helped them put their supplies away. The boys had gone to check out the toys and everything…and he slipped his arm around Alyssa's shoulders.

The teacher came over to introduce herself.

"Hi…I'm Andrea Corbett."

She held out her hand.

Kelly took his arm from around his wife and returned the teacher's handshake.

"Kelly Severide…and this is my wife, Alyssa."

Alyssa also shook Miss Corbett's hand.

The teacher smiled.

"Andy and Jesse's parents…" she said to make the connection.

She glanced around the room. She had been told that the boys were identical twins.

"Over by the cars…" Kelly said. "Andy's in the grey shirt, Jesse's in the blue."

"Andy's a bit bigger…" Alyssa added. "And he's usually the leader. Jesse hangs back a little at first, kind of sizes things up…"

Miss Corbett studied the boys. She could see the differences their mother pointed out. She nodded her head with a smile.

"Well, I look forward to getting to know them…and you as well. We really encourage parents to get involved here at St. Pasqual's."

Before Kelly or Alyssa could say anything, the twins ran up to them.

"Dad! They've got a firehouse here!"

They each grabbed one of Kelly's hands and started pulling him over to the toys.

"Whoa! Easy, guys!" He told them. "Say hello to your teacher first."

The twins looked up at the young woman standing beside their mother.

The teacher knelt down and smiled.

"Hi…I'm Miss Corbett."

She stared into big blue eyes.

"Hi…" they said in unison.

Kelly stifled a laugh. He figured by the end of the first week they'd both have a crush on their teacher…if it took that long. Like father, like sons.

"Tell her your names…" he prompted.

"I'm Andy…and he's Jesse."

Jesse just nodded.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet both of you. Why don't you go ahead and check everything out, okay?" Miss Corbett said.

They boys had grabbed their father's hands and started pulling him over to check out the toy firehouse.

Alyssa smiled after her boys…all three of them.

"They're obsessed with firefighters…"she told the teacher. "If you couldn't already guess."

Both boys had fire trucks on their t-shirts.

"My husband's a firefighter…" she added.

The teacher smiled.

They watched Kelly and the boys for a moment more, and then the teacher excused herself to go meet another student.

The alarm went off at seven.

And at 7:01 Kelly and Alyssa were pounced on by the boys.

"Wake up!" Andy said as he shook his father with two hands. "Wake up!"

"Wake up, Mommy!" Jesse added…slightly less insistent.

Alyssa sat up slowly and pulled Jesse into her lap. She knew what was coming next…

Kelly flipped over and captured his tormentor, bringing him down to the bed and pinning him with one arm. He pulled Andy close and proceeded to pretend to snore…loudly.

"Daddy!" Andy hollered as he wiggled desperately to get free.

Kelly picked his head up and blinked his eyes like he was just waking up.

"Huh? Did somebody say something?" he asked.

"Daddy!"

"Andy! What are you doing here?"

The routine never varied…and Andy fell for it hook, line and sinker every time.

Kelly then proceeded to tickle his son and the little boy squealed with laughter.

Alyssa got up, taking Jesse with her.

"Okay, you two…let's get moving."

The tickle war stopped.

"Okay, Mommy…" Andy said.

He jumped off the bed and ran to his room, Jesse hot on his heels.

Alyssa started to follow them when she was caught from behind. She turned around to face her husband.

"Morning…" Kelly's voice was husky and Alyssa could see the fire in his eyes as he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate, all-consuming kiss.

"Morning…" Alyssa whispered breathlessly when they parted for some much needed oxygen.

He pulled her close and she listened for a minute to the beating of his heart.

Even after all they had gone through and six years of marriage she marveled again at how wonderful her life was…with this gorgeous man who was her husband.

Squeals drifted in from down the hallway.

She sighed.

"I'd better get in there…before Andy tries to get Jesse to wear his underwear _outside_ his clothes again…"

Kelly laughed at the memory.

"It was only that one time…" he said.

"Two times…" Alyssa corrected him.

She turned to go supervise the boys.

"Don't use up all the hot water, Severide!" she called back over her shoulder.

"Yes, ma'am!" he called back.

Like he _ever_ took too long in the shower…

Well, unless they were showering together…

Kelly got the boys breakfast while Alyssa showered and got ready.

He set a plate of toast down in the center of the table and sat down to pour himself a bowl of corn flakes. The boys were already eating their Rice Krispies.

Andy put his ear close to his bowl to hear the 'Snap, Crackle, Pop' and Jesse was about to do the same.

"Hey…less playin', more eating."

Andy picked up his spoon and Kelly handed him a triangle of toast. He did the same for Jesse.

"You guys have fun today, okay? You can tell me all about it when I talk to you later."

"Can we Skype?" Andy asked.

"Yeah." Jesse echoed.

"We'll see…" Kelly answered. "It all depends…"

"On whether or not you get a call…" the boys said in unison.

He walked into the common room to get a cup of coffee and glanced at the clock…Alyssa had dropped the boys off already.

He crossed the room to his 'usual' spot and straddled a chair. He was contemplating his coffee as the others started drifting in.

Shay and Dawson shared a look as they noticed Severide lost in his thoughts. They approached him…

"Earth to Kelly…come in, Lieutenant Severide." Leslie said a hint of sing-song in her voice.

"You're awfully thoughtful for nine a.m." Dawson observed.

Kelly just looked at the two paramedics…but before he could tell them to mind their own business, Casey pulled out the chair next to him.

"Leave him alone…" Casey told the women. "It's a big day today."

Kelly shot him a look of gratitude.

The ladies looked at one another…

"C'mon, Shay…don't tell me you forgot our godsons' first day of kindergarten?" Casey said in mock dismay.

"Oh…yeah!" Leslie smacked her palm to her forehead. She looked at Kelly with new understanding. "How are you holding up?"

Kelly just shrugged.

"It sucks that I have to miss it."

"They'll do fine." Casey said. "Andy'll be running the place by the end of the week.

Then the bells went off.

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61…multi vehicle accident, corner of Cicero and Irving Park.

"Great…Six Corners." Dawson muttered under her breath.

"Let the games begin…" Casey said as they headed out.

Later that evening Severide sat in his quarters with the laptop open. Moments later, Andy and Jesse appeared on the screen.

He could tell they'd had a great day…what with the way they were bouncing up and down.

"Daddy! It was so fun!" Andy said.

"Yeah!" Jesse cut in. "We played with the firehouse and the trucks! And we did the puzzles faster than anybody else!"

"And for lunch we had nuggets _and_ mac 'n cheese!" Andy interrupted.

"And we had pretzels for snack! Everybody got their own bag!" Jesse said.

"That sounds great, guys!" Kelly said with a huge smile. "I knew you'd have fun…"

"And we went on the playground! And I ran faster than all the other boys!" Andy was still going.

"I ran fast too!" Jesse interrupted his brother indignantly.

"But I was faster!"

"Only by _one step_!"

"Okay…no fighting." Kelly warned.

But just then the bells went off again.

"I gotta go guys. Love you!"

"Be safe, Daddy!" they called out right before Kelly ran out.

Friday morning St. Pasqual's conducted their first fire drill of the year.

Severide stood outside the exit nearest his sons' classroom with Mills. Chief watched the front and Casey and Hermann monitored the other two sides of the building.

The alarm sounded and kids began pouring out all the exits. Severide kept one eye on the stopwatch and the other peeled for his boys.

The kindergarteners emerged, and big surprise, Andy was leading the pack. He was also one of the few not covering his ears.

But Kelly scanned the line. Where was Jesse?

A minute later, as Miss Corbett was counting her kids again; Jesse emerged tugging a little girl with red pigtails by the arm. The little girl was covering her ears and huge, uncontrollable tears rolled down her face.

Once the last kid had exited Kelly hit the button on the stopwatch.

"All clear on the north side, Chief." He said into the radio. "Two minutes, sixteen seconds."

"Copy that…" Boden's voice cracked over the radio.

He started over to the kindergarteners.

"Dad!" Andy shouted as he ran over to Kelly.

He crashed into his father and wrapped his arms around Kelly's waist.

"Hey, Buddy! Great job!"

"Did you see me? I wasn't even scared!" Andy chattered excitedly.

"That's 'cause you knew just what to do…"

Kelly put his arm around his son and steered him over to where Miss Corbett was trying desperately to quiet the little girl who was still sobbing hysterically.

Jesse stood next to her, patting the little girl's back.

"Don't cry, Vivvie…" he said. "It's all done now."

"Jess…" Kelly called to him.

"Dad!"

Jesse ran over to his father and his brother.

"What happened?" Kelly knelt down so he was at Jesse's eye level.

"Vivvie got scared. We lined up and we started to go, and she ran back and hid under the table. I had to pull her out!"

Kelly didn't know what to say…he was proud of his son…but at the same time, what he did was incredibly dangerous.

He wiped his hand down his face, then stood up and walked over to the teacher and the rest of the class, who had gathered around the crying little girl.

Miss Corbett looked up.

"Mr. Severide…" she started.

She knew what had just happened was inexcusable.

Kelly just held up his hand.

"Can I talk to her?"

The chief gave the 'all clear' and the classes began to file back into the school.

"I'll bring her in in a minute." Kelly told Miss Corbett.

The teacher nodded.

Andy and Jesse hung back with their dad.

Kelly knelt down in front of the little girl.

"Hey, Mills…" he said "you got a handkerchief?"

Mills pulled a red bandana handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Kelly who dried the little girl's face and held up the bandana so she could blow her nose.

"Better?" he asked.

The little girl nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Vivvie…" she said softly.

"My name's Lieutenant Severide. I'm Andy and Jesse's dad." He told her. "What happened, just now?"

"I got scared…" Vivvie whispered.

Kelly nodded with understanding.

"I know it can be scary…" he said gently. "But the important thing is to just keep moving and get out as fast as you can."

"But it's so loud!"

The little girl's breathing sped up again and she started to panic…

"It is loud." Kelly agreed. "But you need to cover your ears just like you did and stay with your class. If you wait too long, in a real fire you might not be able to get out. And if you hide, the firemen might not be able to find you."

"I'll help you, Vivvie." Jesse piped up. "You just cover up your ears and I'll pull you out like just now…"

"Or I will…" Andy cut in, not to be outdone by his brother.

"See…your friends'll help you. Just remember, even if you're scared…_keep moving_." Kelly told her. "C'mon…let's go back to your class…"

He and Mills ushered the kids back to the kindergarten room. Once they had delivered the children the firefighters stepped back to watch as the kids got back to whatever they were doing.

Kelly folded his arms across his chest. He couldn't get enough of watching his boys…

"Hey, Lieutenant…" Mills tapped him on the shoulder. "We should probably get going."

Kelly nodded and reluctantly backed out the door.

Mills watched his mentor…the obvious pride he had in his boys…the way they idolized him. He couldn't help but hope he'd be so lucky some day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

They fell into an easy routine.

Every day he wasn't working Kelly walked the boys the three blocks to school and picked them up in the afternoon. They played with their cousins across the street and ever since that first fire drill at school, little Vivvie had become a regular fixture at the Severide house.

But when you have twin boys, things are never easy or routine for very long.

It was a slow day at Station 51…and everyone was sitting down to lunch when Severide's phone rang.

He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. The number was local… but not familiar.

He accepted the call.

"Severide…"

He listened for a moment, and then jumped to his feet.

"What? Are they okay?"

He listened again.

"I'll be right there."

He ended the call.

Everyone was staring at him.

"That was the boys' school…" he said. "They're in the principal's office…they got in a fight."

"With each other?" Otis whispered to Cruz.

Cruz shrugged.

Kelly glanced over to Chief Boden.

"Go…" Boden told him.

But Severide was already heading for the door.

Casey caught Chief's eye…and cocked his head after Kelly's retreating form.

Chief nodded…and Casey jumped up to follow Severide.

He caught up with him just as he was getting into his car.

"Hey, wait up."

"Where do you think you're goin'?" Severide asked.

Casey just grinned.

"With you. I'm their godfather, why shouldn't I come along? Besides, someone's gotta keep you from tearin' somebody a new one once you get to the bottom of this…"

Casey made a good point.

Kelly motioned for him to just get in the car.

They drove the ten blocks to the school like they had the lights and sirens going.

Casey had one hand on the door handle and the other on the dash the entire way.

Kelly did a quick parallel park job and was out of the car before Casey even had his seat belt off.

With Matt bringing up the rear, he stormed into the office.

Andy and Jesse were sitting in chairs…their feet dangling in the air. And Andy had an ice pack over his left eye.

Severide quickly dropped to his knees in front of his son.

"Daddy!"

Kelly gently moved the ice pack so he could see what they were dealing with.

"What happened, Buddy?" he asked.

Andy was gonna have one hell of a shiner…

"They were teasing Braden…" Andy started.

"Who was?"

"Some big kids…I think second graders… they were teasing Braden 'cause he's little. And they pushed him down. So I went over there and I said 'If you wanna push somebody, push me!'…And they did!"

Then Jesse interrupted.

"And when they pushed Andy…I got mad so I went and knocked the big kid down…"

"And then the lunch teachers ran over and we had to go to the office!" Andy finished.

Kelly couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Casey…check Jesse out…" he said.

He didn't have to ask twice.

Casey knelt down in front of his godson and checked him over for any injuries.

"He's fine…just a little dirty…" he told their father.

Kelly looked around. Andy and Jesse were the only kids in the office. Where were the bullies who started it?

The principal, Sister Therese, came out of her office.

"Mr. Severide…come in."

Kelly stood up and stepped into the principal's office. Casey was right behind him.

The principal looked him over quizzically…

"This is the Andy and Jesse's godfather…Matt Casey." Severide told her.

Sister Therese nodded.

"What's goin' on?" Severide asked.

Sister Therese sat down behind her desk, folded her hands, and took a deep breath.

"There was an altercation on the playground…" she started.

"Andy just said some second graders were pushing a little kid around…" Kelly immediately came to his son's defense.

"There were others involved." Sister Therese conceded.

"Then why are Andy and Jesse the only ones here?" Kelly wanted to know.

"One boy is in the nurse's office. Another one has already been picked up. And a third boy was sent back to class."

Severide just stared, wide-eyed, at the nun.

His sons took on _three_ bigger boys?

"So what exactly happened?" Casey asked.

The principal looked over to him.

"When the playground monitors got over to the boys, Jesse was sitting on top of Robbie Metcalf and had punched him in the mouth."

Kelly and Casey looked at one another in surprise.

That didn't sound like Jesse.

"But what about the part about the big kids picking on the little guy? How did it start?" Kelly said.

"Yeah…Jesse wouldn't hit anyone unless he had a good reason." Casey added.

"We're still trying to sort that part out…" the principal answered.

"Andy said he was defending some kid named Braden…" Casey said.

"Braden Mitchell." Sister Therese affirmed. "He's a kindergartener."

"Well, did someone ask him what happened?" Severide asked.

"We'll be talking to him…"

Both firefighters simply crossed their arms over their chests…as if to say 'we're waiting…'

Realizing that these men weren't going to leave without getting the entire story…Sister Therese picked up the phone on her desk.

An hour later Casey and Severide walked into the common room…each carrying a twin…

Everyone crowded around to hear the story.

Kelly passed Andy off to Shay.

"Let Aunt Leslie take a look at your eye, Buddy…" he said.

Shay took Andy over to the tables and sat him down.

The rest of the team looked at Severide expectantly.

Casey set Jesse down and Jesse inched his way over to his dad…

"So? Don't keep us in suspense…" Otis said.

The two lieutenants looked at each other.

"Your kids…your story." Casey said.

"Well…apparently some second graders were picking on a little kid…Braden. And one of them pushed the kid down…and Andy stood up for him. He told the big kid that if he wanted to push somebody…push him." Kelly started.

"And when the big kid took Andy up on his suggestion…Jesse got in there and cleaned his clock." Casey finished.

There were a few murmurs as everyone tried to digest what they had heard.

"Wait a minute…" Mills asked, looking down at Jesse. "How did you take out a second grader?"

Jesse looked up at Mills.

"Like this…" he said.

And he charged forward, grabbing Mills around the legs and the startled man tumbled backwards onto the couch.

The room was stunned into silence.

Then everyone burst out laughing.

And no one laughed harder than Mills.

Severide fought to get control of himself…

"Okay…Jesse…say…you're sorry…to Uncle Pete." He chuckled.

"Sorry, Uncle Pete…" Jesse said.

Mills grabbed Jesse in a hug.

"It's okay, Buddy…"

He looked up at Severide.

"I think the boys deserve a reward for stickin' up for their friend…don't you, Lieutenant?"

"Absolutely…"

"Ice cream sundaes all around!" Mills called out.

As he headed for the freezer, the rest of the team headed toward the kitchen.

"That was _priceless_…" Otis said to Cruz.

"Yeah, too bad no one taped it." Cruz replied.

"Can you imagine how many hits that'd get on YouTube?" Otis went on. "It'd go viral in an hour…"

"If it took that long…"

Boden came in from his office as Mills and Dawson were dishing up the ice cream. He strode over to where Andy and Jesse were sitting on the counter.

And of course they had to tell the story all over again.

The chief folded arms across his chest and looked sternly at the twins.

"So what have we learned today?" he asked.

Andy and Jesse looked at each other…wondering if Chief was giving them some kind of test.

"Well, _Mills_ learned you don't mess with the Severide twins…" Otis piped up.

"I'm telling you…" Hermann added. "You gotta watch out for the little guys."

Mills just hung his head in mock shame, while everyone around him chuckled.

Chief turned to Jesse.

"Show me how you hit this Robbie kid…"

He held up his hand, palm facing out.

Jesse drove a perfect punch hard into Boden's hand.

The chief broke out in a huge grin.

"That was perfect! Just like I showed you!"

Jesse smiled at Boden's praise.

"You been giving my boys boxing lessons, Chief?" Kelly asked.

"You got a problem with that?" Boden asked.

Severide put up his hands.

"Nope…not at all…"

"A man's gotta know how to handle himself…" Chief said.

"Hey, you're preachin' to the choir…" Severide told him.

Boden looked around at his men…at the two little boys…all enjoying their afternoon snack.

"All right…" he called out…his deep voice booming. "Why am I the only one here without any ice cream?"

On the first Saturday in October moving trucks appeared on their street. And they stopped in front of the house next to Alyssa's brother Nicky's.

Kelly was outside with the boys…he was teaching them to throw a football. Andy had a good arm…so Jesse was shaping up to be a pretty good receiver.

"Hey, Dad! New people!" Andy said.

"Are there any kids?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know." Kelly answered. "Let's go introduce ourselves."

They crossed the street.

Alyssa's brother Nick was standing out on his front lawn talking to a man Kelly judged to be about his own age. Behind the new neighbor were two boys about Andy and Jesse's age. Kelly wondered if they were twins too.

Nick caught sight of his brother-in-law as he made his way across the street. He introduced the two men.

"Hey Kelly…" he reached out to shake hands, then he turned to the new neighbor. "This is my brother-in-law, Kelly Severide. Kelly…this is Kyle Riordan."

The two shook hands.

"Welcome to the neighborhood." Kelly said.

"Thanks."

"These are my boys…Andy and Jesse." He added.

"And these are my guys…Danny and Kevin." Riordan said. "How old are yours?"

"They'll be six on Christmas Eve. Yours?"

Kyle reached behind him and grabbed one of his boys…then the other.

"Kevin's six…and Danny's seven."

"I thought they might be twins…" Kelly said.

"Irish twins…" Riordan said with a grin. "Ten months apart…"

Kelly and Nick both laughed.

"So…what do you do for a living?" Nick asked his new neighbor.

"I'm with the Sheriff's Police. I'm in charge of a Tactical Response Team." Riordan answered. "You?"

"I'm a cop…Third Precinct. And Kelly's with the Fire Department." Nick told him.

"That must make for some interesting family dinners…" he said with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

A couple weeks later the Riordans had gotten settled in and everyone…Kelly and Alyssa, Nicky and his wife Kathy, and Kyle and his wife Amy had become accustomed to seeing five boys running in and out of each other's houses. Sometimes Nick's middle son Aiden got in the game, but it was usually just the five.

Alyssa had just finished pulling a pan of brownies out of the oven. She knew she'd probably have a crowd after school…

Her phone went off… "Forever"…their wedding song…Kelly.

She hit the button to accept the call.

"Kelly?"

"Lyssa…"

His voice didn't sound right. And she could hear a siren in the background.

"Kelly, what's wrong? Where are you?"

She tried to curb the panic she felt building up inside her. Something was wrong…but at least it was Kelly calling her…not somebody else from the department.

"I'm on my way to Lakeshore…" he said. "It's my knee again…"

He had had surgery three years ago for a torn ACL…

"Oh…Baby…"

Alyssa could hear in his voice his frustration and a touch of anger…and pain.

"Can you come meet me?" he asked.

"Of course…let me just grab a few things."

She turned off the oven and headed toward the stairs.

"I'll be there as soon as I can…" she said.

"Lyssa…bring my crutches."

"Sure…I'll see you soon, Babe. I love you."

"Love you too…"

As soon as she hung up with Kelly, Alyssa made another call.

"Hello?"

"Benny…its Alyssa."

Benny Severide knew his daughter-in-law wasn't making a social call at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday morning.

"Is everything all right? Are the boys okay?" he asked.

"The little boys are fine…but I just got a call to meet Kelly over at Lakeshore."

"What happened? Is he okay?"

After twenty-five years with the department…he knew every little thing that could possibly happen to his only child.

"I don't have any details…" Alyssa told her father-in-law. "But Kelly's the one who called me, so that's saying something. He said it's his knee."

Benny breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, a knee injury could be serious…it could even be a career-ender, but at least Kelly wasn't burned, or suffered some other horrific injury.

"What do you need from me?" he asked.

"Can you throw a bag together and get down here. I'm going to need you to pick the boys up from school at three."

"Couldn't you get someone closer? Can't your mom do that?"

He'd rather go to the hospital. He wanted to see his son, to see with his own eyes that Kelly'd be okay.

"I don't need to be dealing with my mother right now. She'll just upset the boys…or Kelly when she starts in on how different my life could be if only I'd married Jonny DiNardo."

"I've never been to the boys' school before…" Benny protested.

"So listen…Come to our house first. I left the keys in an envelope in the mail box. The boys know which key goes to which lock. You need to go to St. Pasqual's about two-thirty…go to the office and tell them you need to pick up Andy and Jesse. I'll call there as soon as I hang up with you and set everything up. You'll have to show them your driver's license and they'll scan your finger print into their system. Then you're good to go. Take the boys home, give them a snack, let 'em play. I'll call you as soon as I have any information. I also left the pizza menu and some money on the kitchen table."

She'd covered all her bases…and Benny knew there was no room for arguing.

He was working on building a better relationship with Kelly and getting to know his grandsons…but old habits die hard. Truth be told…Alyssa made more of an effort than he did, inviting him over for dinners and to celebrate the holidays with them. But the rub was that they also celebrated with the guys from 51…including Peter Mills…and sometimes his mother. And sometimes Boden. Benny figured it was best not to go opening old wounds.

But this was different, he told himself. And if Alyssa was calling for his help it was serious.

"Okay." Benny told her. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Plan to stay a few days, Benny…please? If Kelly needs to stay in the hospital or if he needs surgery, I'm gonna need help with the twins."

There was an uncomfortable silence while Benny tried to decide whether or not he could handle two five year olds.

'Oh, stop it, Benny…' he thought. 'Man up. This is your son…and your grandsons.'

If there was ever a time to step up…this was it.

Besides…if he could run into burning buildings, he could look after his own grandchildren.

"Benny? Are you still there?"

His daughter-in-law's voice brought him back to the present.

"Yeah…I'm on my way, Alyssa. I'll be there soon. Don't worry. Just take care of Kelly."

Then he thought of something…

"Alyssa?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want me to tell the boys? They're gonna ask why I'm picking them up instead of you or Kelly…"

"Just tell them the truth." She said.

"Alyssa…"

Benny's first instinct was to protect the children…

"They've been around the firehouse their whole lives, Benny. They know what can happen to a firefighter. Tell them the truth…that their dad hurt his knee and I went to be with him at the hospital. We'll be home as soon as we can."

Alyssa walked into Lakeshore's ER.

"Excuse me?" She said to the clerk sitting behind the desk. "My husband was brought in…he's a firefighter."

"Name?"

"Severide…Lieutenant Kelly Severide."

"Room 3." The clerk told her.

As soon as she stepped through the doors she saw Shay and Dawson. They saw her too and when Alyssa approached them, Leslie immediately wrapped her in a big hug.

"You got here fast…" Dawson observed.

"Yeah, I know. What are the chances that I'd just sail through every light?" She agreed. Then she took a deep breath and asked her friends… "Is he okay?"

"He fell on some steps…and landed on his knee. He's in a lot of pain." Gabby told her.

"Yeah…I gave him two shots of morphine on the way in." Leslie added. "They just finished taking x-rays."

Alyssa nodded.

"Thanks, guys…I'd better go to him."

She left the paramedics to finish their paperwork and hurried across the hall to Room 3.

Kelly was lying on the cot with his eyes closed. Alyssa leaned the crutches against the wall inside the door and set down the gym bag containing a change of clothes for him.

"Hey, you…"she said as she approached her husband.

He opened his eyes slowly.

"Hey…"

He sounded tired.

Alyssa came up beside him and gently laid her hand against his cheek. He leaned into the softness of her touch. Just her being there made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

She kissed him softly.

"What happened, Kelly?" she asked.

He sighed.

"Something hit me hard across the back of the legs and I fell forward onto some concrete steps. I landed right on my knee. It just blew up like a balloon…hurts like a bitch."

"They didn't give you anything?"

Leslie said they had…

"Shay gave me two shots…didn't help."

"Well, let's get someone in here."

She reached for the call button, but he took her hand.

"It's okay for right now…I'm sure someone's gonna come about the x-rays in a minute."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I just want a few minutes with you…"

He squeezed her hand in his and settled back against the pillows.

Sure enough…a few minutes later the doctor came in.

"Lieutenant Severide? I'm Dr. Thorne. I just had a look at your x-rays…"

"How bad is it?" Severide saw no point in beating around the bush.

"You fractured your patella. It looks fairly stable…but I've called Dr. Burda to come and see you."

Dr. Burda was the surgeon who had repaired Kelly's torn ACL three years ago.

"Why? Am I gonna need surgery again?" he asked.

"That'll be Dr. Burda's call…but with the amount of swelling and bruising you've got…and you said something hit you across the back of your knee…I'm concerned that the graft might have been injured. I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Kelly nodded. It made sense…

"He should be here soon. I'll try to get an ETA for you." The doctor told him.

"Hey, Doc? Can I have something for pain?"

"Sure. How bad is it? Can you give it a number…one to ten?" Dr. Thorne asked.

"About an eight…eight and a half…" Kelly answered.

He squeezed a little tighter on Alyssa's hand.

"I'll order something right away."

And the doctor left the room.

"Man, you must really rate around here…" Alyssa teased lightly.

"It's a firefighter thing…" Kelly told her with the slightest hint of a rueful grin. "Straight to the front of the line."

He must have been right, though. Because a minute later a nurse came in with the pain meds and something for nausea.

"Dr. Burda is on his way in to see you. He'll be here within the hour." She told them.

When Dr. Burda arrived he came in to examine Kelly…and when he took the ice off Alyssa was shocked by how swollen her husband's knee was. And despite having had two _more_ shots of pain medicine, Kelly hissed and crushed her hand in his whenever Dr. Burda touched it.

It was heart-breaking…to see someone she loved in so much pain. But she kept her voice calm as she whispered soothingly to him, telling him to relax, to focus on her, to take slow deep breaths.

Dr. Burda wanted to do two things right away…the first was drain the blood that had collected in the joint capsule. He explained that there is bleeding in the joint when there is a tear or a fracture, and if the joint capsule is still intact the blood has no place to go, and it causes massive swelling. By draining it, that would help both the swelling and the pain.

The second thing was to get an MRI. That would allow him to assess whether or not the ACL graft had been damaged, and whether or not the extensor tendon had been injured as well.

They might need to get a CT scan as well to see how deep the fracture went, and better assess the degree of displacement…especially after the blood was evacuated.

He explained all this to Kelly and Alyssa. Kelly swallowed hard as he listened to what the surgeon had to say. He was terrified. He had visions of his career going up in smoke…no pun intended. If he needed more surgery…he'd have to go on long term disability for sure.

When Dr. Burda left the room to prepare for the procedure Kelly turned to Alyssa.

"You should go…it sounds like this is gonna take a while…and you need to get the kids."

She just stared at him incredulously for a moment.

"Kelly Severide…have you completely lost your mind? I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here till they tell me I can take you home or until you're settled in a room…fast asleep."

"What about Andy and Jesse?"

"I've already made arrangements for them. Your dad's on his way. He should be getting to the house soon and he's gonna pick them up from school."

"My _dad_? You called _my dad_?" Kelly wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. He thought he might be hallucinating from the pain meds.

"Well…all our regular "babysitters" are on shift till morning…would you have preferred I call _my_ _mother_?"

"I just can't believe my dad would go for it. I mean…I can count on one hand all the times he's come when I needed him…" Kelly knew he was rambling… "He didn't even come when Andy…"

He stopped. Alyssa leaned down to kiss his forehead. She knew it was still painful for him to talk about Andy Darden…his childhood friend…a brother firefighter…the man he'd named his son after. Even though it had been eight years, Kelly still carried the scars from that horrible day…both physical and emotional.

"Kelly…Baby…your dad's trying. He loves you, and the boys. Let him do this for you…for us. Give him a chance to step up to the plate."

She was talking sense…he knew. And her holding his hand, gently rubbing circles across the back of it with her thumb…always helped calm him.

He looked at his wife.

"I love you…you know that, don't you?" he asked.

"There's no doubt in my mind." She replied, using a line from their wedding song.


	4. Chapter 4

Benny Severide walked to the front of the school. It was almost two thirty.

He waited to be buzzed into the front office. Then he introduced himself.

"Hi…I'm Benny Severide. I'm here to pick up my grandsons…Andy and Jesse."

They went through all the formalities…checking his ID, scanning his finger print, adding him to the emergency contacts on the boys' registration.

The principal came out of her office and introduced herself as Sister Therese.

Benny shook her hand nervously. It reminded him of his own school days at Saint Agatha's when he was a kid. Being in the principal's office had that effect on him…

At three o'clock he was waiting outside the school with all the other parents and grandparents.

Andy and Jesse saw their grandfather and ran over to him.

"Grandpa! What are you doing here?" Andy asked.

"Where's Mommy?" Jesse said.

Benny knelt down to the boys' level.

And he did exactly as his daughter-in-law had instructed him to.

"Your dad hurt his knee at work…and your mom went to be with him at the hospital. So she asked me to come pick you guys up…"

"Is Daddy okay?" Jesse asked.

Benny reached out and laid his hand on the little boy's shoulder. Both boys were the spitting image of Kelly, but Jesse was more like Alyssa…he thought…in terms of temperament, and he always thought about the other guy first. Andy…now _he_ was Kelly all over again…a natural leader, fearless, never one to back down from a challenge.

But of course they were both worried about their dad.

"He'll be fine. Your mom said that the doctor was there and that Dad was feeling better."

"Is he coming home?" Andy wanted to know.

"As soon as the doctor says it's okay."

Both boys nodded…satisfied with what they were told.

They slipped their hands into their grandfather's and the three started walking toward home.

"Grandpa? Did you ever get hurt when you were a firefighter?" Jesse asked.

Benny looked down at Jesse.

"I had a few bumps and bruises…just like your dad. Being a fireman is tough work…and it can be dangerous. That's why we work in teams…you know somebody's always watching out for you." He answered.

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It was after seven when Alyssa finally brought Kelly home. They'd been in the ER all day…and they were both exhausted.

Once Dr. Burda had drained Kelly's knee, the pain was a lot more manageable and they were able to get the tests they needed. The MRI showed that the ACL graft was still intact, albeit bruised…along with a massive contusion of his right hamstring. The CT confirmed that the fracture ran deep through the patella…but the amount of displacement was only minimal and wouldn't require surgery. That was the good news…but he was still gonna be out for three or four months at least.

And it was still an iffy proposition…being able to return to full duty. Kelly had poured out all his fears to Alyssa while they waited, first for the MRI, then for the CT scanner. And Alyssa just listened to him…and as she gently wiped the soot and grime from her husband's face and hands with a warm washcloth, she tried to calm those fears. She told him that it would all be okay…and whatever happened…they'd handle it together.

When the doctor finally said they could leave, she helped him change into the clothes she had brought him…then they slowly made their way to the car.

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Kelly didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see his house…

They made their way across the yard to the back door, in through the playroom and into the kitchen. Andy and Jesse were at the table eating their pizza. They both jumped down from their chairs and ran over to their dad when he came hobbling in on his crutches.

"Daddy!" they both shouted as they rushed to hug him.

"Whoa…whoa…whoa! Easy, guys…" Kelly warned them when they got too close. "We gotta be real careful with my leg. No rough-housing for a while."

Both Andy and Jesse stopped short and looked up at him nervously. They both still had vague memories of the last time their dad hurt his leg…but they had been babies then…not even in _preschool_.

Kelly saw the looks on his sons' faces and he held out his arms to them. The boys approached him with more caution and gingerly slipped their little arms around his waist.

Benny watched his son and his grandsons. He envied the relationship Kelly had with his boys…the obvious pride and joy that shone in his eyes every time he looked at them. And the way Andy and Jesse looked up at their father…like Kelly was Superman.

He'd sure missed the boat on that one, having been in and out of Kelly's life since he was even younger than the twins. Sure…Benny loved his son…and he was so proud of him, not just on the job, but for the man he had become. But he kept all those feelings locked inside…never sure how or when to show them. He just hoped it wasn't too late for him…for all of them.

"What did the doctor say, Kelly?" Benny asked.

Kelly looked up at his dad.

"Fractured my kneecap…" he answered. "Good news is I don't need surgery."

He looked back down at Andy and Jesse and he ruffled their hair to get their attention.

"Hey, you guys go finish your dinner, okay? Mom's gonna get me set up on the couch and when you're done we'll watch a movie. How's that sound?"

" 'Real Steel'?" Andy asked.

"Yeah… 'Real Steel'?" Jesse echoed.

They'd probably seen that movie a hundred times…but it was their favorite. And Kelly loved to watch it with his boys.

"Sure." He answered. "Now go back to the table and finish your pizza."

The boys scurried back to their chairs and Kelly started toward the family room with Alyssa following behind him.

"I'm gonna check with Grandpa, so make that pizza disappear." He called over his shoulder.

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Alyssa helped him over to the couch and tried to make him comfortable.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

Kelly reached for her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him.

"Just my wife…" he answered.

Their peaceful moment was shattered by the pounding of little feet on the hard wood floor as Andy and Jesse came running in. They stopped short when they saw their mom and dad holding hands, talking quietly to one another.

"It's okay, guys…nothing mushy going on in here." Kelly told them.

Alyssa turned to the boys.

"Let's go get ready for bed…then you can watch the movie in your pj's."

Both boys sighed.

"Go on…I'll wait for you." Kelly said.

Alyssa leaned over and gave him a little kiss.

"I'll be right back." She told him. "You'll be okay?"

He nodded.

He would have liked to tell his dad to take them…but he could see the boys were anxious about him being injured. No…it was best to try and keep everything as close to normal as possible for them.

Benny came into the living room as Alyssa was herding the twins up the stairs. He studied his son lying on the couch…looking so tired and uncomfortable.

"So what happened?" he asked.

Kelly sighed…and got ready to tell the story for about the umpteenth time.

"It was a factory job…pretty big deal. We had about a dozen companies there. Things were wrapping up…Squad was heading out. Then one of the guys from 47 uncovered a hot spot. It kicked up, sent some debris flying…and something hit me hard across the back of the leg. I fell down some concrete steps and landed on my knee. Mills and Hadley had to carry me out of there…and Shay and Dawson ran me over to Lakeshore."

"And what did the doctor say?"

"I told you…I busted my kneecap. They said there's only 'minimal displacement', so it doesn't look like I'll need surgery for it…"

"What else?" Benny asked.

"They did an MRI…and the ACL graft is holding up. It's bruised…same with my hamstring, but it didn't rupture."

"So how long are you out for?"

Kelly shrugged.

"At least three or four months. Maybe six. Depends when I can start putting weight on it."

"And when will that be?"

"When it doesn't hurt so damn much!" Kelly snapped.

Father and son just stared at each other for a long moment.

"Hey, Dad?"

"What?"

"When did you know it was time to hang it up? With Squad, I mean?"

"Why would you ask a thing like that? Did somebody say something?"

Kelly shook his head.

"No…not yet anyways. I was just thinkin'…this is the second time I've hurt my knee…before that it was my neck…and I've had a couple little things."

"Like what?"

This was the first he was hearing about other injuries.

"Like last spring I was out four shifts 'cause I strained my shoulder. About a year and a half ago I bruised a couple of ribs…twisted my ankle a couple months after the twins were born…just a lot of stuff."

Pretty minor stuff…but it all added up.

Benny took a deep breath.

"Well, until somebody says something, I wouldn't even think about it. They had to carry me out kicking and screaming…"

"Oh, I was screamin' all right…" Kelly grumbled.

The boys came thundering down the stairs like a herd of elephants.

"We're ready for the movie, Daddy!" Jesse said,

"Mommy said we could have ice cream!" Andy added.

Alyssa came down the stairs.

"I'll get your ice cream…Kelly, do want something?"

"Sandwich? I'm kinda hungry."

She smiled at him…and Kelly felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't know what he had done to deserve a wife like her, or the life they had together. But whatever it was, he was eternally grateful.

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While Alyssa made his sandwich and got the boys their treat Kelly closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain and relax.

But he kept coming back to all the injuries he'd had.

He'd been with the department over twenty years, most of that time on Squad. And he still loved it. Ever since he got his first toy fire truck…this was all he ever wanted. And most days…he still jumped out of bed, eager with anticipation for whatever challenges the next shift would bring.

Could he give it all up? What would he do?

Go back to Truck…assuming he even qualified to return to duty?

Arson investigation…like his dad? Boden had once brought up that possibility, back before the surgery on his neck injury. But Kelly didn't think he had the patience…the attention to detail the job required. And truthfully, he wasn't sure he was smart enough.

He was a very instinctive kind of firefighter. He could pull up to a scene, look at a situation, and he knew what he had to do. How to gain access…do what needed to be done, and get out. He was fearless when it came to running into a burning building or crawling into a tight spot. He could jump into the freezing lake or repel down the side of a ten story building…no sweat. It was exhilarating!

But sitting at a desk with paper, writing reports…made him want to tear his hair out. He agonized over every single word.

No…he was most definitely _not _cut out for desk work. If he couldn't be on Squad…then that was the end of it.

He heard little feet again. Neither boy, but most especially Andy, ever walked. Jesse could at least slow it down a little at school…or in church. But that subtlety was lost on Andy.

"Daddy? Can I sit next to you?" Andy asked.

Kelly opened his eyes and looked at his sons, both standing there with their color-coded bowls of ice cream…red for Andy, blue for Jesse.

"Can I?" echoed Jesse.

"You guys grab your pillows and sit right here…" he indicated to the spot right in front of him. "Mom's gonna sit with me on the couch."

While the boys arranged themselves, Alyssa came in with Kelly's sandwich, some of the homemade potato chips he loved, and some sliced fruit. He sat up a bit so she could join him on the sofa, then sank back into her arms. As the movie started he bit into a thick sandwich of sliced steak on homemade Italian bread and settled in to watch 'Real Steel' for the God only knew what number time.

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They didn't even make it halfway through the movie before the boys were fast asleep on their big body pillows on the floor. Alyssa and Benny carried them up to bed…and then Alyssa came back to help Kelly up the stairs.

In their room she adjusted the immobilizer for the night…so it wouldn't be too tight. He grimaced as she helped him into bed and arranged all the pillows so his leg was elevated. Then she sat down beside him. He reached for her hand and squeezed it tight as she gently rubbed her free hand up and down his arm…just trying to soothe him.

"You doin' okay, Babe?" she asked softly.

Kelly took a couple deep breaths and tried to pull it together.

"I'll live." He replied.

Alyssa looked at him sympathetically.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just come to bed." He told her.

She nodded, then leaned down to kiss him softly.

Kelly watched as she changed into one of his old t-shirts, then came around to her side of the bed. He held out his arms to her as she crawled beneath the covers and once she had settled her head against his shoulder he hugged her close and tangled his fingers in her long hair.

As they lay in the darkness, Kelly could just appreciate the closeness between them. He knew Alyssa would take care of him and get him through this injury…just like she had every other time he had gotten hurt. Whether it was something major like this or a minor sprain or pulled muscle…she would do whatever she could to ease his pain and calm his fears.

But nearly twenty years on Squad was sure taking a toll on his body.

"What are you thinking, Kelly?" she asked softly as she traced her fingers over his bare chest. He loved when she did that…it always helped him to relax.

She knew him so well.

"I'm just thinkin' this is the second time I've hurt this knee in three years. The department's gonna have a field day with that…"

"But this is a totally different kind of injury." She pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. All they're gonna see on the report is 'injury, right knee' and when they open my medical record they'll see I was out for seven months with a…oh, look at that…a right knee injury. Then there's my neck…and…"

"I'd say you've been pretty lucky. You've got twenty one years…almost nineteen on Squad. Who else can say that?"

"Maybe it's time to hang it up…"

Alyssa raised her head to look at her husband.

"We don't need to go borrowing trouble. Let's see how you heal up."

But Kelly shook his head.

"I don't know, Lyssa. This is bad…I haven't felt pain like this in a long time."

"Honey…you took a hard fall. It's gonna be sore for a while. Do you need something for pain?"

"Not right now, Babe…"

"We're gonna get through this, Kelly. We'll be okay." She said.

She placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Try to get some rest…" she told him.

And she snuggled back into him and held him tight.

He lay there in the dark, listening to her breathing softly even out…and he placed a kiss on her forehead.

He hoped to God she was right…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

They woke up just before the alarm…

And they were ready when the twins came running into their bedroom.

"Easy, guys…" Alyssa told them. "No jumping up on the bed for a while."

So with uncharacteristic carefulness…Andy and Jesse climbed up on the queen sized bed and crawled to the middle for their morning snuggle time.

Kelly hugged his sons close to him.

It always made his day to see them…the way they looked at him, made him feel like he could move mountains. The love he felt for them…and for their mother…he had never imagined that kind of love existed.

"Daddy? Who's gonna take us to school?" Jesse asked.

Kelly always walked them the three blocks to St. Pasqual's when he wasn't on shift.

"Grandpa's gonna have to take you…" Kelly told them with a sigh.

As much as he wanted to…he wouldn't be taking them or picking them up for a long time. And at least for now…he needed Alyssa close to him.

"How long is Grandpa gonna stay here?" Andy asked.

Both boys loved their Grandpa Benny…he just had never been around that much. And he'd never stayed at their house before.

Kelly shrugged.

"I don't know…maybe a couple days…maybe a week. We'll see what happens."

Last night, Benny had promised to stay and help with the kids, at least until Kelly was feeling better. Kelly had accepted the offer…but in the back of his mind he doubted his dad would last more than a day or two.

"Okay…let's go get ready for school…" Alyssa said as she got out of bed and started to usher the twins back into their room.

She did take a minute to come around to Kelly's side of the bed.

"Do you need to get up, or are you okay for a few minutes?" she asked.

"I'm okay…"

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She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself before she went down the hall.

She checked to make sure the boys were started before she went and knocked gently on the door of the guest room.

There was no answer…and she hesitated a moment before she turned the knob.

The bed was made, and there was no sign that it had been slept in.

She checked the kids again then went downstairs in search of her missing father-in-law.

He was nowhere to be found.

She went back upstairs and checked in on the boys one more time before she went to her room and started to pull on jeans and a t-shirt.

"What's goin' on?" Kelly asked.

"I have no idea where Benny's gone off to…he's not in the guest room, he's not downstairs. So I guess I'm gonna need to take the boys to school."

Kelly started to sit up.

"What are you doin' Honey?" she asked.

"Help me up…"

She came to his side and carefully lowered his leg from the pile of pillows, then moved them aside. Once her husband was sitting up she gently guided his leg off the bed and slowly lowered in to the floor.

Kelly reached for his crutches.

"What are you doing, Kelly?" she asked again.

"I'm gonna help you get the kids ready…then I'm gonna call Nicky and see if he or Kathy can take the boys to school…_then _I'm gonna find my father and tear him a new one."

"Kelly…"

Alyssa tried to calm him…but he was furious.

His dad had promised…_promised_…that he'd hang around to help them. And now it wasn't even twenty four hours and he was already AWOL.

"Get me a pair of sweats, please? And a t-shirt?"

"You don't need to do this…"

"Yeah, I do. He promised, Lyssa. It's one thing when it was just him and me…but he's not gonna treat you and the boys like this."

Alyssa knew better than to try to argue with him when he was this upset…so she just set about getting the clothes he'd asked for.

As she helped him with the sweats…she couldn't help but think Kelly didn't need this right now.

She had a few choice words for her father-in-law.

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They were downstairs in the kitchen when Benny came strolling in.

"Morning, everybody…" he said cheerfully.

But Kelly glared at his dad.

"Where the hell have you been?" he snapped.

Andy and Jesse perked up right away. They looked at each other in shock.

Grandpa Benny was in trouble…

"Eh, I couldn't figure out that damn coffee machine…so I went looking for a Starbucks." Benny said with a wave of his hand. "And who pissed in your corn flakes?"

Kelly drew in a deep breath and was about to blast his father…

"Kelly?" Alyssa said quietly.

He turned to his wife.

And she cocked her head in the direction of the twins…sitting at the table, their eyes wide as saucers, waiting for the next angry word.

He nodded.

"Living room…now!" he growled at Benny.

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Benny followed his son into the living room at the front of the house.

"Okay, what the hell crawled up your ass?" he demanded.

"We get up this morning and you're nowhere to be found…"

"I told you…I went for coffee!"

"You could have told me you were leaving!"

"You were asleep!" Benny said.

"Or you could have left a note! Alyssa and I were counting on you to take the boys to school!"

"I'm right here, aren't I?"

"But I had no idea where you went…I didn't know when you were coming back!"

"Look, Kelly…" Benny replied tersely. "I'm not accustomed to having to check with somebody to see if I can go get a damn cup of coffee. I don't answer to anyone…let alone my own kid!"

"I'm not a kid! This is my house, damn it…and my family!"

He took a breath to regroup…

"You said last night that you would help me and Alyssa with the boys…well…we're trying to keep everything as normal as possible for them…and that includes sticking to their schedule."

"I gave you my word that I'd stick around…that oughta mean something."

Kelly just rolled his eyes.

"Sell that to someone who hasn't known you for forty years…" he replied.

He took another breath.

"Dad…it's one thing when you let me down. I'm used to that. You been doin' it my whole life."

Benny started to interrupt.

"I'm still talking! You're not gonna disappoint my boys. I won't stand for it. And if you can't handle that…then don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out."

Both men gave the other a hard stare…

Benny studied his son…and realized he could learn a lot about being a father.

"Okay…okay…I'm sorry." He conceded.

"This is gonna sound corny…" Kelly said. "But my house, my rules…if you're gonna stay here, you need to respect my family. Alyssa and the boys, they're my world…and I won't let them be hurt…by you or anybody. So the choice is yours."

"I said I'd stay till you were feeling better…and I meant it. But you're right, I need to act like I'm part of the family…not just going off on my own."

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Alyssa came out of the kitchen.

"Kelly…it's time to go."

Benny gave his son a long look…then turned to his daughter-in-law.

"I'm gonna take them, Alyssa."

She nodded.

A minute later the boys were running in with their hoodies and back-packs.

Kelly held out his arms to them.

They wrapped their arms around his waist.

"You guys have a good day…okay?" he said. "I'll be waiting to hear all about it when you get home."

"Bye, Daddy…" Andy said.

"We love you…" Jesse said.

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They ran down the front steps and took off running for the house next door.

"Where are you going?" Benny called.

Andy picked up the newspaper off the sidewalk and carried it to the door. Jesse followed, then stood on his toes to ring the bell.

An old woman with white hair opened the door a minute later.

"Here's your paper, Mrs. Garibaldi." Andy said.

"Thank-you boys!" the woman said.

She looked at Benny standing on the sidewalk waiting.

"Where's your mommy and daddy?" she asked.

"At home." Andy answered.

Jesse nodded.

"Who's that with you?"

She felt more than a little protective of the two boys…and she didn't know the man with them.

"That's our grandpa." Andy told her.

"He's staying at our house." Jesse added.

"Our daddy broke his leg…" Andy continued.

"And Mommy needs to take care of him." Said Jesse.

"So Grandpa Benny came to help." Andy finished.

"Oh…" Mrs. Garibaldi said in dismay. "That's terrible that your daddy got hurt! I hope he gets better real soon.

Kelly was such a nice young man…she thought. And such a good father…he shouldn't have bad luck like that.

"Boys?" Benny called "We gotta hustle here. You don't want to be late."

"Coming, Grandpa!" Andy said.

The boys said good-bye to Mrs. Garibaldi and scurried down the steps.

They walked a little ways down the block.

"Who was that?" Benny asked his grandsons.

"That's Mrs. Garibaldi." Andy told him.

"We always get her paper in the morning." Jesse added.

" 'Cause it's hard for her to go outside." Andy finished.

"Oh…that's very nice of you."

"Mr. Garibaldi used to be a firefighter…a really long time ago." Andy said.

"But he breathed in too much smoke…and now he's got a tube stuck in his nose all the time to help him breath." Jesse told Benny.

"So Daddy cuts their grass…and shovels their driveway…and rakes their leaves." Andy went on.

"And we help him!" Jesse added proudly.

Benny's eyebrows went up in surprise.

He had no idea Kelly did all that.

"Wow…that's really great, guys." He told them proudly.

"Daddy says firefighters always take care of their own." Jesse said.

"Yeah…" Andy agreed.

"He's absolutely right." Benny said.

"Grandpa?" Andy asked. "What does that mean?"

"Well…when you work with other men at the fire house…eat with 'em…sleep in the same room…you become like a family. You really depend on each other…like brothers. And you help each other out…I'm sure the men from the house will be around plenty…what with your dad hurt and all."

"But Daddy never worked with Mr. Garibaldi…" Jesse pointed out.

"Doesn't matter…" Benny told him. "Every firefighter who ever wore the uniform is like your brother. And brothers look out for each other, right?"

"Right!" Andy agreed.

And Jesse nodded.

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After Benny left with the twins, Alyssa went to Kelly.

She slipped her arms around his neck and he laid his hands on her slender waist.

They kissed softly.

"Peace and quiet…" she said with a smile.

"At least for a while." He agreed.

"Do you need anything?"

"Yeah…a shower."

With everything that had happened yesterday, he never got a chance to shower…and he needed it. Alyssa had cleaned him up at the hospital…but he needed to just stand under the hot water.

"Okay…" she told him.

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She helped him up the stairs and followed him to their bedroom.

In their bathroom she adjusted the water temperature and went to help her husband…

Kelly caught her around the waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her deeply…and when they reluctantly parted for some much needed oxygen he began to play with the button on her jeans.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You're wearing way too much to shower…"

"Kelly, your dad's gonna be back soon!"

"So? He's been married…like…five times. I'm pretty sure he knows about "conserving water"."

But then he got serious. He looked deep into her eyes.

"Lyssa…all kidding aside…my knee hurts so bad…I need you."

She helped him to undress and she pulled out the plastic covering they had used when he had had his knee surgery to cover the immobilizer. Then she helped him into the shower.

When he set his right foot down, the world swam in front of his eyes, and he grabbed for her arm.

Startled, she looked up at him. He didn't need to say a word, it was all right there in his eyes.

So she quickly undressed herself and got in with him.

"I told you I needed you…" he said as he brought her close to him. "I told you…"

"Kelly…" she whispered as she gently slid her hands over his shoulders and his arms, just trying to relax him.

"I don't know how I'm gonna handle this, Alyssa…" he whispered softly.

"I'm gonna take care of you, Baby." She told him. "You'll be okay."

He hugged her to him.

He knew she'd be there for him…do whatever he needed her to…whatever she could to ease his pain. But he didn't know how she'd be able to help him if he couldn't be a firefighter anymore. And the way he was feeling, right in that moment…it looked like all his fears were going to become a reality.

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After they'd showered, Alyssa helped him into clean sweats and a t-shirt.

"Do you want to go back to bed? Or downstairs?" she asked.

He'd really have liked to just get back into bed with Alyssa…but his dad would be back any minute from taking the boys to school.

"Downstairs…" he said reluctantly.

Alyssa was just getting him set up on the couch when Benny walked in. He watched his daughter-in-law kiss Kelly softly before she went off to the kitchen to get him an ice pack and his pain meds.

Kelly glanced up at his dad.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Fine. No problems. We had to stop by your next door neighbors' though…"

Oh, yeah…Kelly realized. He'd forgotten to mention the daily stop at the Garibaldi's.

"Yeah…the boys bring the paper to them every morning. It's kinda their 'job'."

"That's really nice that they do that. They told me all the stuff you do for them."

"They're good people…and they don't really have anyone to look out for 'em. Their only son died in the line of duty…about fifteen…no, sixteen years ago. They've got two daughters…but they don't live anywhere close. The one comes by about once a month…but that's it."

"That's sad. It's hell to get old."

"So Lyssa and I try to do whatever we can…she makes meals they can freeze and picks up stuff at the store for 'em…milk, bread, whatever. And the other guys pitch in sometimes. Casey put new windows in for 'em last spring…only charged 'em for the supplies. Vargas helps out with the yard work when I can't do it…"

"That's really great, Kelly. Gotta take care of your own…"

"That's what I tell my boys all the time."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

They took things one day at a time.

The twins became accustomed to having Grandpa Benny around…every day he walked them to school and picked them up in the afternoons. And Benny was pleasantly surprised to find a few other firefighters he knew coming to pick up their grandchildren too.

Kelly was managing with his knee…this was the most painful injury he could remember in a long time…and every day he was privately more and more uncertain that he'd be able to go back to work…that he'd heal up from this. But he kept his fears to himself. Alyssa was so certain that he'd be okay…and she said they didn't need to go borrowing trouble. He just wished he could be as confident as she was about this.

He was missing his time with his boys. So much of the stuff they did together was physical…throwing the ball around…shooting baskets with the hoop he'd nailed to the garage…running through the sprinkler in the back yard in the summer. Now in just two weeks they'd watched God only knew how many movies…he listened to them do their reading out loud every day…they played video games…but it wasn't the same.

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The weather was unseasonably warm for October…so on Saturday Kelly sat outside on his front steps watching the boys race their radio-controlled cars on the sidewalk.

"Let me try!"

Kelly looked over toward the new voice. His eyes narrowed when he recognized Timmy Murdoch from down the block. Timmy was a third grader at St. Pasqual's and he had a mean streak in him that Kelly didn't like.

Before the twins could even say anything…Timmy grabbed the controller away from Jesse.

"Hey!" Kelly raised his voice. "You don't just come over here grabbin' other kids' toys! You need to ask if you can play!"

The bigger boy sneered at Kelly…and then turned to Jesse.

"Can I play?" he asked…but it didn't really sound like a question.

"Okay…" Jesse said hesitantly.

Timmy ran the car around for a while…an evil glint in his eye.

After he had run into Andy for the fifteenth time and knocked his car over…

"Okay…" Kelly said. "That's enough. Give the controller back to Jesse."

He wanted this kid out of his yard and away from his kids.

"In a minute…" Timmy growled as he ran Andy's car over again.

"No…not in a minute. Now!" Kelly raised his voice.

Timmy looked up in surprise.

"Give the controller back to Jesse and go home, Timmy. If you can't play fair, then you can't play at our house."

The kid looked like he was about to protest…but something in Mr. Severide's voice said he meant it.

Timmy roughly shoved the controller into Jesse's hands and stomped off in the direction of his house.

Kelly watched the bigger kid go. He'd have to keep an eye on that one…maybe talk to Nick and Kyle…see if they had seen this kid in action.

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A little while later he pulled himself up and hobbled out onto the sidewalk where Andy and Jesse were drawing with chalk. He watched his sons with a smile on his face. It was a beautiful day…and he was having some quality time with his boys…and he wasn't cooped up in the house.

Suddenly something hit him from behind…and as he fell forward onto the ground he heard an evil sounding laugh.

His right arm broke his fall…but his leg, even though it was protected by the immobilizer and an ACE bandage slammed against the pavement.

The jarring movement sent waves of pain crashing over him. As he struggled to pull himself into a sitting position he saw Timmy Murdoch…standing there with his razor scooter…laughing his head off.

"Dad!" Andy ran over to Kelly's side…Jesse about half a beat behind him.

"Guys…" Kelly said through clenched teeth… "Go get your mom!"

The boys hesitated for a second.

"Go get your mom!" he said again.

They took off around the side of the house to the back door.

Kyle Riordan was cutting his lawn across the street when he heard the ruckus over the sound of the mower. He cut the engine and dashed across the street.

"What the hell are you doin'?" he yelled at Timmy…forgetting he was talking to a kid. "What's the matter with you?"

Timmy stopped laughing…and glared at Mr. Riordan.

"Get outta here, you little brat! Go home! NOW!" Riordan yelled.

Timmy took off in the direction of his house and Kyle hurried to help Kelly up.

He was just getting to his feet when Alyssa came running out. She was immediately by her husband's side…and Kelly put his arm around her shoulders and leaned heavily on her for support as Kyle retrieved his crutches from where they had gone flying.

"What happened, Kelly?" she asked…worried about him.

"That little shit from down the block…ran into me with his scooter."

Kyle brought the crutches to Kelly and he took them and found his balance.

They boys had followed Alyssa outside…and they watched their dad with fear in their eyes.

Kelly was struggling to pull himself together…he could see his sons were frightened.

Riordan could see it too.

"Why don't I take the boys over to my house? They can play with Kevin and Danny…I'll bring 'em back later this afternoon." He suggested.

Kelly nodded. He just wanted to get inside. It was better that the boys didn't see him like this.

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They watched Kyle usher Andy and Jesse across the street then, Alyssa began to help Kelly into the house. They went in the front…the back door might as well have been a hundred miles away.

And climbing the half dozen steps felt like climbing Mt. Everest…but they made it through the door and into the living room.

Alyssa was just helping Kelly onto the couch…slowly guiding his leg onto a pillow…when Benny emerged from the basement. He had missed all the excitement.

"What's going on? What happened? He asked when he saw the look on Kelly's face. "Where are the kids?"

"They're over at Kyle and Amy's house." Alyssa answered.

Okay…one question answered.

"And what happened to you?" he asked his son.

Kelly just lay back and took a few deep breaths to try and compose himself before he answered. He reached for Alyssa's hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. He needed her to hold him, to comfort him…to calm him.

"Benny? Can you go in the freezer and get one of those big cold packs?" Alyssa asked.

She had been about to go herself, when Kelly stopped her. His eyes pleaded with her not to leave him…so she began to gently stroke his shoulders in that slow, rhythmic pattern she always did when he was uncomfortable.

Benny turned to leave the room. He wanted answers…but he could see Kelly was hurting and he wasn't going to find out anything until his son was okay.

When he came back with the cold pack Alyssa undid the straps on the immobilizer in order to get the cold as close to his knee as possible. Then she went back to rubbing his shoulders and whispering to him softly…

"Its gonna be okay, Baby…"

Benny watched impatiently.

"Okay…what happened?" he asked finally.

Kelly took a couple deep breaths to pull himself together.

"That little shit from down the block slammed into me."

Benny just stared at his son in wide-eyed disbelief.

He was still from the old school…the one where the kids showed respect for adults.

"Why would he do a thing like that?"

"I guess he was pissed that I told him to go home. He came over here and muscled in on Andy and Jesse's game…and I told him he couldn't play here anymore." Kelly said. "Kid's got a mean streak in him a mile wide…"

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It took a little while…but finally they got the pain under control and Kelly was able to relax.

But he was really pissed…he had half a mind to go down to the Murdoch's house and have a word with the little shit's father.

The doorbell rang…and Benny went to answer it.

There was a man in his forties standing on the porch…with thin brown hair combed back and a deep widow's peak in the center of his forehead. And he had an ugly scowl on his face.

"You Severide?"

The man slurred his S's when he spoke…

He was three sheets to the wind…

"I'm Benny Severide." He said. "Who the hell are you?"

"Tom Murdoch…from down the block."

The little shit's father…

Alyssa and Kelly heard the exchange from the living room…and Kelly sat up and reached for his crutches.

"Are you the one who yelled at my kid?" Murdoch asked Benny.

"No…_I'm _the one who yelled at your kid." Kelly answered as he came to the door.

"You got no right to do that!" Murdoch spat at Kelly.

"I've got every right…this is my house!" Kelly answered. "_Your_ kid was pushing my boys around…so I told him to go home."

"That's how boys play! Unless you're raisin' a couple pansies down here."

"Our boys are five years old." Alyssa cut in. "Your son's older…he ought to know better than to push little kids around. He's a bully!"

"Are you sayin' I don't know how to raise my kid, lady?"

Alyssa just crossed her arms over her chest. It seemed fairly obvious that's what she was saying.

"Don't talk to my wife like that!" Kelly told his neighbor. "Get the hell off my porch!"

He hobbled forward a step or two…and he and Murdoch glared at one another.

Murdoch turned and stumbled down a couple of steps.

Then he turned around again.

"You stay away from my kid!"

"Keep your kid away from my house and my kids…and we're all good." Kelly told him.

And he shut his front door.

He turned to his wife.

"Well, that explains a lot." She said wryly.

"Yeah…sure does." Kelly agreed.

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On Monday Benny came in with the mail…and a package.

"This was on the doorstep…" he said.

Kelly looked up from magazine he was flipping through.

"That's prob'ly the boys' Halloween costumes." He said.

"What are they gonna be?" Benny asked.

"Same thing they are every year…" Kelly answered. "Give it here…"

Benny handed the box over and Kelly tore it open. He opened it…and took out two little firefighter costumes.

He held up one of the jackets and turned it around so he could see the back.

"Cute…" Benny said.

"They want their name on the back…like mine." Kelly said. "Trying to see how that would work…"

Benny nodded…of course Andy and Jesse wanted to be just like Kelly. Why was he even surprised?

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Halloween brought about an argument between Kelly and Alyssa.

Kelly insisted on taking the boys trick-or-treating…and Alyssa was afraid it would be too much for him.

"I've been on shift the last three Halloweens…" Kelly told her. "The last time I took 'em trick-or-treating I had to pull them around in the wagon. They couldn't even say "Trick-or-Treat"…"

"I'm just worried about you…" Alyssa said. "Even if you just go up and down the block…"

"So you go with me…" he told her. "My dad can man the door…you come with me and the boys and you can fuss over me all you want."

He got his way…he usually did.

So at 4:00 they joined Nicky, Declan, Aiden, and Connor…and Kyle with Danny and Kevin…and little Vivvie with three of her sisters…and took to the streets.

They made their way up and down the block…pointedly avoiding the Murdoch's house…then up and down the side street.

By the time they finished the kids each had a bag full to the top of candy.

And Kelly was exhausted. Alyssa was right (she usually was)…it was hard on him…hauling his ass around on crutches. But to see the smiles on his sons' faces…and to hear them chattering with excitement…it was worth every second.

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They brought all the kids back to their house and Alyssa made hot dogs for everyone. It was a tradition…after trick-or treating kids had dinner together and their parents came by afterwards for Halloween cookies and hot mulled cider.

Benny stood over by the banister, out of the way and just watched as a dozen kids ran back and forth between the playroom, the kitchen and the living room.

Kelly sat around the dining room table with a bunch of the other dads making predictions for the Bears game on Sunday while they inspected the mountains of candy the kids had collected. Alyssa came out of the kitchen to make sure he had everything he wanted…coffee…cider…cookies…whatever.

It made Benny a little sad. He had never taken Kelly out on Halloween…his wife had divorced him when Kelly was only four. He had never really been a part of the family. He lived for the job…and after shift, the two bedroom apartment seemed too confining. And Maggie had had all she could stand.

Kelly had been married to Alyssa for longer than he had been married to any one of his wives… Benny remembered what he had said at Kelly's wedding… 'Maybe you'll be the one to get it right'. Well…he sure was. They way he and Alyssa looked at each other…the way the boys looked up to their father…Kelly certainly had gotten it right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Kelly got the boys' lunch together…ham and cheese roll-ups…his kids must be the only kids in Chicago that ate the majority of their sandwiches without any bread.

Alyssa assured him that prob'ly wasn't the case…but still. It was weird.

"Daddy? What time's Mommy coming home?" Jesse asked.

Kelly glanced at the clock.

"Should be soon…the stores are mobbed today."

It was the day after Thanksgiving…Black Friday. And Alyssa was braving the crowds at Toys R Us and Target.

They were getting the boys new bikes…and Tonka had this whole new line of…you guessed it…fire trucks…so Christmas was pretty much a no-brainer at the Severide house.

He set the plates down in front of his sons…and limped over to the fridge to get them some milk.

He was able to get around a little better now. He could put some weight on the leg with the crutches…and he could manage without them in small spaces, like the kitchen and the bedroom.

He had a doctor's appointment Monday morning…hopefully the fracture was healed and he could start rehab soon. He loved being home with his family…but he was anxious as hell to see what he was going to be able to do and whether he'd be able to go back to work.

"Now…you eat all your lunch." He told them as he poured the milk. "We're not gonna garbage up on snacks today…we're having a big dinner tonight."

"But we had a big dinner last night…" Andy said.

They had gone over to Nick and Kathy's house for Thanksgiving. The boys had played with their cousins and the grown-ups had watched football while Lyssa and her sisters-in-law had cooked up a feast.

"Yeah…we did. But remember? Tonight we're going to Miss Ingrid's restaurant to have dinner with our family from the firehouse?"

Second Watch hadn't worked the holiday this year…so they were all were getting together at the Mills' family restaurant to have a belated turkey dinner.

"Daddy? Is Grandpa coming too?" Jesse asked.

"No…he's meetin' some of his old buddies for dinner someplace else…"

Kelly had tried to persuade him. Now that everything was out in the open about Mills' father and Chief and Mills' mom…they'd all dealt with it. Pete and Chief were cool…Chief and Ingrid had managed to come to an understanding…and all the other little fires between everybody else had long since been extinguished. Except for Benny…he still bristled when Mills was around…and he had kept right on grinding his axe with Boden.

It was getting old…hell, it had _long_ past its expiration date.

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The doorbell rang…and the boys ran to answer it. Kelly grabbed his crutches and followed them.

Andy got to the door first and pulled it open.

Timmy Murdoch was standing on the front porch.

"Can I come in and play?" he asked.

The twins looked at Timmy…then up at Kelly.

Daddy didn't like Timmy…and he didn't want them to play with him.

"Uh-uh…" Kelly answered. "We're having lunch right now."

"Can I play while you eat?"

"No." Kelly replied incredulously.

This kid was somethin' else…

"I've seen how you play Timmy…and I don't like it. So you need to go on home."

"But my dad said to get out of the house and quit botherin' him!"

"Sorry…that's not my problem. But you're not gonna play with Andy and Jesse."

A dark look crossed the child's face…and it chilled Kelly to the core.

Kids shouldn't have that much hate and anger in them.

Timmy turned and stomped off…and Kelly shut the door.

"Go back in the kitchen, guys…eat your lunch." He said.

He took one last look out the window. Timmy was still standing on the sidewalk in front of the house. Kelly shuddered at the thought of the kid's face a few moments before. Then he hobbled back to the kitchen.

He'd have to call Nicky later and see what he knew about Murdoch and his kid. There was something way, way, _way _off there.

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He should have known sending Timmy home wouldn't be the end of it.

Alyssa had just gotten back from shopping and she and Kelly were going over the receipts for the days purchases. She had hidden the toys in the garage under a tarp…and she'd bring them inside later after the boys were in bed

"Don't worry 'bout that…" Kelly told her. "I already talked to Matt…he's gonna help me put the bikes together…then he'll take 'em to his place and hide them there."

Before she could answer there was an angry pounding on the front door.

"What the hell?" Kelly wondered as he hobbled out into the dining room.

Standing on his front porch was Tom Murdoch…Timmy's dad.

The man swayed a little on his feet…and Kelly could smell the whiskey from five feet away.

Great…just what he needed. A drunken idiot on his porch…

"What do you want, Murdoch?"

"Did you tell my kid he couldn't play here?"

"Um…yeah. It's my house…" Kelly answered.

Who the hell did this asshole think he was?

"Whaddya got against my kid?" Murdoch slurred his words together.

"He's mean…he's obnoxious…he's disrespectful…" Kelly told him. "I don't want him near my kids."

"You self-righteous sonofabitch…" Murdoch growled. "The firefighter's kids are too good to play with the plumber's kid? That's it…huh?"

"That's got nothing to do with it." Kelly rolled his eyes. "Your kid's a bully, period. And he's not welcome here. And you comin' down here every time's not gonna make me change my mind! So get the hell off my porch…and go take care of your miserable kid!"

And he slammed the door.

Alyssa came out of the kitchen as he clicked the deadbolt.

She had heard every angry word.

Kelly made his way back toward her…and she linked her fingers around his neck. His hands found their way to span her tiny waist.

"Unbelievable…" he said. "Absolutely unbelievable…"

"Let it go, Babe…" she told him. "He's not worth getting riled up over."

They were getting ready to head over to the restaurant when Kelly's phone rang.

"Hey…Nicky…"

"Hey…listen…the weirdest thing happened…that little shit from down the block came over looking to play with Connor and Aiden…"

"He was here too…I told him to get lost." Kelly said.

"Me too…I don't want that kid within twenty yards of my house…but then, get this…his dad shows up…drunk off his ass…telling me I gotta let his kid go wherever the fuck he wants?"

"He pulled the same shit over here…I slammed the door in his face."

"But that's not all…" Nicky went on. "Kyle called me a little while ago…same thing happened at his place."

"They really get around, huh?" Kelly said sardonically. "But Timmy did say something…when I sent him home he said 'But my dad told me to get outta the house and quit botherin' him.'…"

"I'm guessin' Murdoch was busy with Jim Beam and Johnny Walker…" Nicky said.

"Don't forget Jack Daniels…" Kelly added.

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Kelly and Alyssa sat in Dr. Burda's office waiting for him to read the latest set of x-rays.

Alyssa squeezed her husband's hand in hers…and he looked up, distracted from his thoughts.

"It's gonna be okay, Honey…" she told him.

He just smiled nervously.

He wished he had her confidence about this one.

Dr. Burda swept into the room and clipped the pictures up to the light box. Then he pulled out his glasses and studied the films carefully.

"Looks pretty good Kelly…" he said. "I think you're ready to get started with physical therapy."

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Christmas night…

It had been a long day…a long couple of days.

Christmas Eve they had had the "family" over to celebrate the twins' sixth birthday…and after opening presents that morning…and going to church…they spent the day at Alyssa's brother Tony's house in Park Ridge. And there were more presents…more food…and Kelly had to admit, his brother-in-law made a pretty mean eggnog. It was definitely meant to separate the men from the boys.

Kelly had barely laid his head on the pillow when the boys came running into his room.

"Daddy!" they cried.

"What now?"

He'd had a hell of a time getting them in bed…what with all the excitement. And all the sugar.

"There's something wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi's porch!" Andy started.

"It looks like it's on fire!" Jesse finished.

Kelly jumped out of bed and hurried to the boys' room to look out the back window. And sure enough…he could see the flames licking hungrily at the wooden rails and the overhang.

He ran back to his room and grabbed his jeans.

"Lyssa! Call 911! The Garibaldi's porch is on fire! Get the boys out of the house! They've got enough oxygen over there to blow the whole neighborhood to hell!"

He stuffed his feet into his shoes and ran into the hall.

Alyssa grabbed the phone and started pulling clothes on herself.

Kelly banged on the door of the guest room.

"Dad! Get up! The Garibaldi's porch is on fire! We gotta get 'em outta there!"

He took off down the stairs and through the kitchen…out the back door.

Once he was outside he saw it was worse than he thought. That porch hadn't been used in God only knew how many years and it was rotting…the ancient paint was peeling. Not only was it an eyesore, it wasn't safe. He had been thinking he needed to talk to Casey and the rest of the men about replacing it for the old couple.

That didn't matter now. The entire thing was engulfed in flames.

He ran around the house to the front door and pounded on it.

"Mrs. Garibaldi! Open up! It's Kelly Severide!"

He pounded again…then he kicked the door in. He had to do it twice. He didn't have his boots or the rest of his gear.

Inside there was a lot of smoke but the flames hadn't gotten inside the house.

Mrs. Garibaldi was shuffling toward the door when Kelly burst in followed seconds later by his father.

"I can't get Hank in the wheelchair!" she cried.

"I'll get him!" Kelly told her. "Dad! Shut that kitchen door and get her out!"

He ran into the downstairs bedroom and there was Hank Garibaldi, lying in a hospital bed.

"The oxygen!" the old man wheezed as he gestured wildly.

He couldn't breathe without it.

Kelly grabbed the portable tank, then scooped his neighbor, blankets and all into his arms. As he hustled out the door he could see the red glow beneath the kitchen door that told him the fire had made it into the house.

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Outside, Alyssa had the boys bundled up in the back seat of Benny's car. She'd thought to grab Kelly and Benny's jackets on the way out so she had the keys to the car parked out on the street. And at least the boys would be out of the wind.

She held open the front passenger door and Kelly set Mr. Garibaldi down. He could hear the sirens approaching as he worked to get the oxygen flowing for the old man.

Mrs. Garibaldi was crying hysterically and Benny was trying to calm her…to absolutely no avail.

Once Mr. Garibaldi's oxygen was working Kelly could finally take a breath himself. Alyssa moved closer to his side and he draped his arm around her shoulders. His knee was killing him.

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Truck 81 and Ambulance 61 pulled up first.

Casey jumped off the rig and when he saw Kelly standing outside, he ran over to get the 411.

"Everybody's out…" Kelly told him. "But there's at least half a dozen tanks of oxygen in there! The fire's in the back…it's the same layout as my place back there."

"Got it…" Casey said as he ran to deploy his men based on what Kelly had just told him.

Shay and Dawson took over with Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi. When they got ready to move the old couple to the ambulances, Shay passed the old man off to the second in crew. She turned to Kelly, who was still leaning heavily on Alyssa in order to keep as much weight off his knee as possible.

"You need a ride to the hospital?" she asked.

"No…I'm okay."

But Leslie could see otherwise.

"You need to get your knee checked out."

"I'll call the doctor in the morning. I just wanna get back in my house."

"Shay! Let's go!" Dawson called out.

"Go." Kelly told her.

Reluctantly, she turned away from her best friend and went to do her job.

"Kelly? Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Lyssa asked.

She could feel just by the tension in his body and the way he was leaning on her that he was in a whole world of pain.

"Let's just worry about getting the boys settled down." He said. "They don't need to see me get taken away in an ambulance tonight."

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Chief Boden came over to where the family was still gathered around Benny's car.

"Kelly…fire's out. You can take your family back inside." He said.

"Thanks, Chief…"

Kelly looked over at his neighbor's house and shook his head.

This was defiantly not his idea of a Merry Christmas.

"You need help getting the kids inside?" Boden asked.

Severide looked into the back seat of the car. The boys were sleepy…but they were awake.

"No…I think we're good. Right, guys?" he answered. "C'mon…Chief said we could go back in our house."

The boys slid out of the back seat and trudged off toward their house with Grandpa Benny close behind.

Kelly straightened up and began to shift his weight onto his bad knee…but the pain stopped him. Alyssa was going to have to help him.

They had only taken a few steps.

"Severide…" Boden said.

"Yeah, Chief?"

"That was good work…you and your dad…getting those people out." He said.

"Thanks…" Kelly replied.

Alyssa gently urged him forward and together they slowly made their way into the house.

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As Alyssa helped him with his jacket, Kelly knew there was no way he'd be able to make it up the stairs.

"Lyssa…" he said softly, so as not to upset the boys. "Help me over to the couch. I'm just gonna sleep down here…"

"I'll stay with you, Baby." She told him.

The boys were still standing there.

"Daddy?"

"What, guys?"

"Can we sleep with you and Mommy?" Andy asked.

"We're scared." Jesse said.

Kelly's heart melted. This was the first time the twins had actually seen a fire…seen the firefighters work…been even remotely close to danger.

He and Alyssa shared a look.

"Guys, Mom's gonna help me over to the couch. My knee hurts really bad right now."

"Then I'll go upstairs and get your sleeping bags and we can camp out in the living room." Alyssa said.

Normally the boys would have been excited at the change in routine…but it was late…they were tired, they were cold…

Once Kelly was settled on the couch he held out his arms to his boys. He pulled Andy up into his lap, then put his other arm around Jesse and brought him in close. And he just held them for a minute.

"Everything's okay, guys." He told them. "Daddy's not gonna let anything bad happen to you."

"Daddy…why did the Garibaldi's house get on fire?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know…but the fire department has people who are gonna find out. They're called arson investigators…Grandpa Benny used to work with them. They'll figure it all out."

While Kelly calmed the twins, Alyssa went upstairs to get pillows and sleeping bags. She made the boys beds on the floor with their big body pillows and then she tucked them in.

She brought down the pillows from her and Kelly's room and she made her husband as comfortable as she could on the couch. Then she curled up next to him and wrapped the big fuzzy throw around them. And finally, Kelly held her tight and just savored the closeness between them.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he answered. "As okay as I'm gonna be."

Alyssa just held him tighter.

"I love you, Kelly…I love you so much." She whispered softly.

That made everything worth it.

But Jesse's question about how the fire started was nagging at him. From what he had seen, the fire had been on the porch. There was no electrical wiring out there, at least nothing that had been used in the six years he'd lived there…and as far as he knew, no one had stepped foot on the porch in years. Nobody smoked in that house, or outside for that matter. And it didn't just spontaneously combust.

Kelly had a bad feeling that he wasn't gonna like the answer when it finally came out.

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The next morning he had called the hospital and he was able to talk to the Garibaldi's daughter. She told him both her parents had been admitted and that her mother had suffered a mild heart attack, probably brought on by the stress of the entire incident.

And later that afternoon Lyssa took him to the doctor to have his knee looked at. He couldn't put any weight on it at all…and he was scared that he'd injured it even worse. Not that he would have done anything different…but he had just started rehab a few weeks ago and now it looked like he might be back to square one.

Benny was waiting for them when they got back from the doctor.

"Your phone's been ringing off the hook all afternoon." He said.

"What for?"

"Ron Hoskins in the Arson Investigator on this…he needs to talk to you."

"Did they find something?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah…gasoline all over the porch."

Kelly swallowed hard. That bad feeling he'd had was right on the money.

"What else?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

"Reporters. Both the Trib and the Times…want to interview both of us."

Kelly rolled his eyes.

"Not a chance." He said.

He didn't want or need recognition for just doing his job. It didn't matter that technically he wasn't on duty.

"My sentiments exactly." Benny agreed. "Now…what did the doctor say?"

"He said it's fine…I just strained it with all the excitement last night."

That was good news. Kelly had been afraid that he'd torn something…a ligament or cartilage…something that would require treatment beyond staying off it, keeping it elevated, and icing it every hour or two.

"How were the boys, Benny?" Alyssa asked.

All three of them were worried about what the boys had seen and how they were processing everything that had happened.

"They were quiet…didn't say much. I took some of their toys down to the basement. I didn't think they needed to be looking out the window at that house."

Kelly and Alyssa both shared a worried look.

Their boys…quiet…not saying much? That wasn't a good sign.

"That's a good idea, Pop…about taking the toys downstairs."

The boys' playroom was the back porch…when they moved in Kelly and Casey had turned it into a four season's room. So there were windows all around…and the boys could see the Garibaldi's yard, the burnt out porch and the gutted back half of the house.

But he was really worried…and he didn't know how to help Andy and Jesse.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The boys' Christmas break wound down…and they still hadn't really said anything about the fire.

Kelly was anxious for them… and he tried to do as much with them as he could…play with them, read to them, watch movies…but mostly just hold them.

And the fact that there were no leads on who had started the fire was a whole other set of worries. Kelly had talked to the Arson guys a couple of times…and the idea that there was a firebug running around his neighborhood didn't sit well at all.

And he had plenty of time to sit and think about it. Since he couldn't go to PT…they had given him this medieval torture device they called a CPM machine…and he had to have his leg strapped into the damn contraption for at least six hours a day.

Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi probably weren't coming back. They had both been moved to a nursing home after they got discharged from the hospital. He and Alyssa went to see them once…and he knew they'd make the effort to get back as often as they could…he was still undecided about taking the boys because it was truly a depressing place.

Once their house was fixed, the daughters would most likely sell it. And that was sad…Kelly really liked the old couple. He hoped he and Alyssa would be lucky enough to have over sixty years of marriage.

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Alyssa came into the living room with his pain medication and a glass of water. She handed him the pills and he quickly swallowed them down. And once he had drained the glass he handed that back to her. She set it on the coffee table, then she curled up beside him on the couch. He took her in his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You tired, Babe?" he asked softly.

He knew she'd been spreading herself thin this past week. Taking care of the boys…and worrying about them more than usual since the fire. Taking care of him now that his knee was worse…and especially when he all he could do was lay there with that horrible machine.

"I'm worried about the boys. It's not like them to be this quiet for this long. Especially Andy."

"I know…I'm right there with you." He agreed.

"I think we should take them to school tomorrow…and talk to Miss Corbett and Sister Therese."

"Yeah…that's a good idea. I just wish I could figure out what goin' on in those little heads."

Alyssa sighed.

"When you do…every parent in the world'll want in on that secret."

"And we'll be set for life…" he quipped.

Lyssa just snuggled in a little closer…and held him a little tighter.

And he reluctantly picked up the CPM control and pressed the button.

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Later that night Kelly lay on his bed. Alyssa was supervising the boys taking their showers and getting ready for bed. Once they were asleep, he still had to do two more hours with the CPM. He didn't like to use it when the boys were around because he didn't want them to see him in pain. And that thing was pure agony. They should use it to interrogate prisoners of war…

"Daddy?"

He looked up. Andy was standing in the doorway pulling his pj top down over his little tummy.

'Hey, Buddy…c'mon up here."

He had been hoping to get some one on one time with the boys…especially Andy. The little boy had been acting so out of character it was really troubling…even more so than Jesse.

"You ready to go back to school tomorrow? See Miss Corbett and all your friends?" he asked his son.

"Daddy? Can I ask you question?"

"Sure…anything."

"Were you scared when Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi's house got on fire?"

"Yeah…I was. Fire's a scary thing."

"Then why did you and Grandpa go in there?" Andy asked.

"Because otherwise Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi wouldn't have got out in time. They would have gotten hurt." Kelly told him. "If _I _was scared…and_ you_ were scared…can you imagine how scary it must have been for them? To be trapped in there?"

"But what if you got trapped too?"

"Grandpa was there…I knew he'd help me if I got in trouble. And I knew Uncle Matt and Uncle Pete and Uncle Chris and Chief were coming. But I couldn't leave Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi in the house…not when I knew I could help them. And I know Grandpa will tell you the same thing."

Andy snuggled closer to his daddy.

"I was _really_ scared." He said in a little voice.

Kelly felt his heart catch when he heard the fear in his son's voice.

"I know you were, Buddy." He said, trying to keep his own voice as normal as possible. "That's okay…it's normal. I'd be _more_ worried if you _weren't_ scared."

"Can I still be a firefighter when I grow up? Even though I got scared?"

"Absolutely…"

He reached across and grabbed Andy under the arms and hauled him over so the little boy was sitting on his lap…and looking right in his eyes.

"Andy…when a firefighter goes into a fire it's good to be a _little_ scared. That's what makes you careful. Fire's unpredictable…"

"What's 'un-pre-dic-table'?"

Andy said the big word carefully.

"Unpredictable means you don't know what it's gonna do." Kelly explained. "But at the Academy, you learn what to do in a fire…how to use all the tools…you have all your gear. And you practice…with lots of people looking out for you. You learn to do your job. And you keep learning…you know how I have to go to drill? That's to practice what to do in different situations…so when it's the real thing, you're prepared."

Just at that moment, Jesse came into the bedroom.

"Can I come in too?"

"C'mon up here…" Kelly said.

Jesse climbed up on the bed with his dad and his brother.

"Jesse…" Andy said. "Daddy said it's okay to be scared of a fire!"

"Really?" Jesse asked.

And both boys looked so relieved…that they started chattering about what they were going to do at school tomorrow.

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Chief Boden rang the Severide's doorbell.

When Benny answered, his expression darkened.

"Wally…what brings you by?" he said tersely.

Boden gave his old friend a hard look.

Benny was like a mean old dog with a nasty old bone…

"I need to talk to Kelly…and you too." Boden replied.

Alyssa came up behind her father-in-law.

"Chief!" she greeted him warmly. "C'mon in!"

Benny stepped aside to let Boden into the house.

Kelly had managed to haul himself up off the couch and hobbled into the dining room.

"Chief…" he said when he stopped and held out his hand. "What're you doin' here?"

"Let's sit down…" he said. "You too, Benny."

Alyssa was already headed for the kitchen…and a few minutes later she returned with a tray laden with coffee mugs and a plate of cookies.

No one ever left the Severide home with an empty stomach.

Once she had joined the men at the table, Chief Boden reached into his inside pocket and brought out a letter.

He slid it across the table to Kelly, who picked it up cautiously.

It was from the Commissioner.

He took the folded letter from the envelope and began to read…and he swallowed hard.

He handed the letter across the table to his dad…who took it with the same look of trepidation as his son.

Benny read through the letter and frowned.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on here?" Alyssa asked.

She was frightened…by the looks on Kelly and Benny's faces.

Chief just sat stoically sipping his coffee…looking back and forth between Kelly and Benny.

Benny handed his daughter-in-law the letter. She took it and then she saw what the fuss was about.

Kelly and Benny were being awarded a commendation for heroism above and beyond the call of duty for rescuing Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi from the fire.

Apparently…their daughters had written letters to the Commissioner…and the Mayor.

She looked up…shocked.

She knew how Kelly felt about recognition. He was doing his job…what he loved…he didn't want or need any more than his paycheck on the first and the fifteenth of every month.

"I don't suppose there's anything we can do to stop this from turning into a three ring circus…" Benny said.

Kelly was thinking the same thing. If he had to do this…he'd just as soon go down to the Commissioner's office, pick up the certificate and go on about his business.

But this letter was talking about a ceremony…the top brass in the department…the Mayor, who loved a good photo op…and inevitably reporters, news people, in short…everybody and his brother.

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The ceremony took place on Saturday at the Academy.

Kelly looked like a man about to face the firing squad as Alyssa helped him get ready.

"Honey…"she said. "It's gonna be okay…a couple hours, and this'll all be over."

He gave her a look as she brought his dress uniform out of the back of the closet.

She looked beautiful…in the red dress she'd gotten for Christmas…the heart locket he'd just given her…her long brown hair curling softly around her face.

"I just…hate the whole dog and pony show thing." He said. "I mean…this is what I do for a _living_…"

"I know, Babe." She said softly as she smoothed his white shirt over his shoulders. "But if it makes any difference…I'm _so _proud of you. And I know Andy and Jesse are too."

Kelly reached out to her, put his hands around her slender waist, and brought her to stand right in front of him. She loosely linked her hands behind his neck and they looked into each other's eyes for a long minute.

"That's all I need, Lyssa. For you and the boys to be proud of me. That's all I'll _ever_ need. The rest of this is just…"

His thought was interrupted by the boys thundering down the hall and running into the bedroom.

He turned to see his sons…dressed in their matching khakis and sweaters…red for Andy, blue for Jesse.

And for a second he flashed back to a picture of himself that used to hang in Grandma and Grandpa Kelly's living room.

Mini-me times two…

"We're ready, Daddy." Andy said proudly.

Jesse just nodded…big smile from ear to ear.

"Come on over here…" he said.

Both boys ran over to him…and he leaned down and straightened their clothes a little.

"Okay…_now_ you're ready."

"Daddy!" Andy said with a laugh…

Kelly laughed too.

"What? I can't have my boys shaking hands with the Commissioner with their pants all twisted around…"

"Are we really gonna have to shake hands with the Commissioner?" Jesse asked.

"What's a Com-mis-sion-er?" Andy said.

Big word again...

"He's like the boss of all the firefighters in the city!" Jesse said.

"Jesse's right.." Kelly said. "And yes…if I gotta shake hands with the Commissioner…then you do too."

"Guys…" Alyssa interrupted. "Why don't you go downstairs and check on Grandpa? Let Daddy finish getting ready…so we can get out of here. We can't be late."

"Okay!" the boys said…then they ran out of the room and a moment later they were thundering down the stairs.

Alyssa just shook her head.

Never a dull moment in the Severide house…never a quiet one either.

"C'mon, Baby…" she said. "Let's get moving…"

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Dear God…would the speeches ever end? Kelly thought to himself as he stood on the stage in the auditorium of the Academy.

He hadn't been in there since his graduation…

This ceremony was going on forever…and the boys weren't the only ones getting restless.

Finally…the Commissioner called him and his dad up to the podium.

He let his dad go first…and he hobbled behind.

He'd hoped he wouldn't need the crutches…but when he'd tried to take a few steps around his room at home…he couldn't do it. Alyssa had to help him back over to the bed and wait with him till he could pull it back together.

Him having to accept this award on crutches was just one more thing for the press to sink their teeth into.

Then it was over. He had his medal…he had his framed commendation…and he and his dad took the requisite pictures with Boden, the Commissioner…and the Mayor.

The one good thing was when Alyssa and the boys joined him for the pictures…and he had introduced his sons to the top brass from the department. He couldn't hide his pride at having such a beautiful wife and two great kids…he knew he was a lucky man.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

March brought more than just the promise of spring…

Kelly and Alyssa walked out of the Occupational Health clinic…with the paperwork that said he was clear to return to work…on full duty…no restrictions.

He felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted.

"Let's celebrate…" he said. "Tonight…dinner anywhere you want to go. I want to take my wife out."

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Benny and the boys had just gotten home from school…and they were still taking off their jackets when Kelly and Lyssa walked in.

"Daddy!"

The boys ran to him and threw their arms around his waist.

They were so glad that their dad was better and he could play with them the way he used to…

Kelly was glad too…he had signed the boys up for T-ball at the Park District and he was going to be an assistant coach. He was so looking forward to summer…introducing his sons to a game he loved.

As he hugged his sons he couldn't help thinking that his dad had never once come to see him play ball as a kid…

Speaking of his dad…

"What did they say?" Benny asked anxiously.

Kelly looked up…with a huge grin on his face.

"Full duty…no restrictions! Totally cleared!"

"That's great!" Benny said. "Congratulations!"

"Can you watch the kids tonight, Pop? I wanna take Lyssa out…to celebrate."

"Sure…"

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Kelly was surprised…no…shocked as all hell that Benny had stayed as long as he had.

What was going to happen now that he was going back to work and life could get back to normal?

He as came down the stairs…still marveling at how there wasn't even a twinge of pain…

Benny came out of the kitchen where he was getting the twins their dinner.

"Ready to roll?" he asked.

Kelly adjusted the cuff on his sleeve. It felt weird to be dressed up after lying around for months in sweats and t-shirts.

"Yeah…Lyssa'll be down in a minute."

"I want to ask your opinion on something…" Benny started.

Kelly waited expectantly.

"How would you feel if I moved back to the city?"

Whoa. Kelly wasn't expecting that.

"And lived where?" he asked cautiously.

He was grateful that his dad had stuck around as long as he had…he'd been there pretty much the entire time since he got hurt…but Kelly had truthfully been looking to get his guest room back.

He and Alyssa were talking about having another baby.

"I've got a bead on a one bedroom/one bath apartment about eight blocks from here…I was going to put in an application tomorrow if you didn't have any objections."

"No…I think that sounds great…" Kelly said.

Benny studied his son for a long moment. Living with him and Alyssa and the boys the past few months had really shown him what he was missing out on. And he didn't want to give all that up to go back out to his place in Woodstock.

It's funny…he had moved all the way out there to get away from the city…from all the places he'd gone to on calls...every time a fire truck sped past him he felt a pang of longing. So he ran away.

But now he couldn't imagine not seeing his grandsons every day…picking them up from school…occasionally meeting up with the other retired firefighters he knew picking up _their_ grandkids.

And Kelly. He'd spent more time with his son than he had in over thirty years. He'd seen Kelly as a father and a husband…and he was a good one. Benny sure couldn't take any credit for that.

Kelly looked his dad up and down. He'd gotten used to having Benny around too…and for the first time in his life they really talked. Not just him listening to his father tell old war stories…not talking about the job…but actually having a man to man conversation.

He heard things about his mom that he'd never known before…how his parents met, stories about when they were dating…and he realized that his mom had been the love of his dad's life. Everything he had done since had been an attempt to get back even a little of what he'd had…and he always came up short.

The idea of having Benny more or less in the neighborhood was a good thing. Kelly knew the boys loved their grandpa and they'd be sad if he wasn't around…and he and his dad had made so much progress in the past few months…he was glad he wouldn't have to give that up.

"Yeah…I think that's a great idea, Pop. We can go check it out tomorrow after the boys go to school."

Just then Alyssa came down the stairs, and Kelly turned around…and mentally kicked himself for not booking a hotel room for the night as well.

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It felt so good to be back at Station 51…to feel the adrenaline rush every time the bells went off…to throw on his gear and jump on the rig.

But some of the calls they got that spring were hitting a little too close to home. Kelly didn't have to go on most of them…but when he heard an address on a garage fire just around the block from his house, his heart just about stopped.

There had never been any leads on the person who had set fire to the Garibaldi's porch. All they knew was someone had tossed what basically amounted to a Molotov cocktail onto the porch probably just a few minutes before Andy and Jesse had noticed the blaze.

He had been right about the house going up for sale. The daughters were pulling out all the stops, updating the kitchen and the bathrooms…as soon as the renovations were done Kelly had no doubt he'd see a For Sale sign.

Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi were still hanging on in the nursing home. But they were going downhill fast. Mr. Garibaldi had had pneumonia twice since New Year's…and they were both missing the closeness of their old home. Kelly had gone to visit them after shift one day…and then gone home and hugged Alyssa for about an hour.

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"Engine 51, Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3…6143 W. Irving Park…

The boys' school!

When they pulled up on the scene they saw the fire was confined to the southwest corner…and it didn't take long to extinguish the blaze that had started in a trash bin in a janitor's closet.

But it could have been a disaster.

Once he knew he wasn't needed for any actual firefighting…Kelly went off to find his boys.

First the fire at the Garibaldi's…now a fire at their school.

The kindergarteners were gathered in their designated spot on the north side of the building…and this time little Vivvie wasn't the only one crying.

"Dad!"

Andy and Jesse both came running over to their father…

"Daddy! What's happening?"

They obviously knew this wasn't a drill…not when Daddy had all his gear on.

Kelly knelt down in front of his boys and hugged them both.

"It's okay guys…there was a little fire in a trash can…but we're all over it. It's already out."

"Can we go back inside?" Andy asked.

"I'm cold…" Jesse added.

"I don't know…I think they're gonna take you over to the church. Then Mommy will come pick you up from there."

"What about our stuff?" Jesse asked.

"There's still some clean-up Truck needs to do…I'm sure they'll tell us when we can get your coats and everything." Kelly tried to make his voice reassuring…but every fiber of his being was straining to just pick up his children, take them home and lock the door.

The teachers had started herding the kids down the block toward the church.

"You guys go with Miss Corbett and your class. I've still got work to do…but I'll call you as soon as I can, okay."

They both nodded…their big blue eyes still wide with fear.

"I love you, guys." He said…unable to keep the raw emotion out of his voice.

"Love you, Daddy…" Jesse said as he hugged Kelly around the waist.

"Me too, Daddy…I love you." Andy said as he wrapped his arms around his father.

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They got back to the house after the school fire…

"Severide…"

Chief came up behind Kelly as he was getting out of his turnouts.

"Yeah, Chief?"

"You okay?"

He nodded slowly.

"Yeah…I'm just thinkin' 'bout the boys."

"Well…if you need to go…"

"Let me talk to Lyssa…see how they're doing. I might take you up on that…"

"Just let me know. Family first." Chief said.

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Kelly sat in his quarters talking to Alyssa that afternoon.

"How're they doin' Lyssa?" he asked. "Are the boys okay?"

"They're still pretty shook up…" she answered.

"Do you want me to come home?"

"I don't want to make problems for you at work."

"No problems…Boden's fine with it. Family first, Lyssa."

"I've got a better idea. Why don't we come down to the station? I was baking this morning before the school called…"

Kelly couldn't help but smile…

"Sure…c'mon over. It's almost dinner time anyway. God knows I've fed these guys enough times…Station 51 can feed my family for a change."

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A little while later he led his family into the common room.

"Look who I found hangin' 'round outside…" he said with a big grin.

Lyssa and the boys followed him in…each boy was carrying a pie…and Alyssa and Kelly had two each...and Shay brought up the rear with two more.

Mouch and Otis jumped up off the couch.

"Here…let me help you with that…" Mouch said as he took the pies from Alyssa.

"Yeah…right…" Severide said under his breath.

It was the same story every time Lyssa showed up at the firehouse. The guys were all over whatever she brought like they hadn't eaten in a week. And in eight years…well…it was good to know some things never changed.

Mills lined all the pies up on the counter…

"Apple…Carmel apple…peach…triple berry…okay, I got my dinner…the rest of you can fend for yourselves!"

"But Mommy said we were gonna have dinner with you, Daddy!" Andy said.

There were a few chuckles…

"Look at that, Mills…" Severide said. "How can you say 'no' to that face?"

Mills bent down and swung Andy up into the air.

"I'm just kiddin' Buddy…" he said. "C'mon…let's go see if dinner's ready. You too, Jesse…"

He set Andy down and the boys followed Uncle Pete to the kitchen.

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After a dinner of ham and au gratin potatoes…and Casey convincing the twins to eat all their broccoli…and several slices of homemade pie…the firefighters sat back rubbing their stomachs.

Please, God…don't let them get a call…nobody could have moved if they wanted to.

Having the kids around was just what the doctor ordered…for everyone.

The boys loved hanging around with all their "uncles" and their two "aunts". Casey had them polishing the chrome on the truck…Shay and Dawson let them "help" with inventory on the ambo…and Kelly sat at Squad's sacred table, with Alyssa in his lap, smiling as he watched his boys.

"This was a great idea, Babe." He said. "Look at how much fun they're having."

"Aren't you lucky you married such an intelligent woman?" she quipped.

Kelly looked up at her…and she leaned down to give him a little kiss.

"I tell myself that every single day…" he said.

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But the calls didn't stop.

There hadn't been any leads in as far as the fire at the Garibaldi's, and the garage fire around the block was also deliberately set…and now there was the fire at the school.

The CPD and CFD were putting together a joint task force to look into things on a deeper level…before someone got hurt…or worse.

Kelly found out about it when Boden called him into the office.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?"

"Kelly…you know Ron Hoskins, from Arson…this is Rich Allen…"

Kelly shook hands with a man a few years older than himself…shorter…broad shoulders, wire framed glasses.

"Good to meet you…" Kelly said.

Allen nodded.

"And this is Drew Blanczyk, from CPD." Chief finished.

Kelly shook the cop's hand.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

"We wanted to ask you a little bit about your neighborhood…" Allen began.

"What do you need to know?"

"We're just wondering if you have any concerns." Blanczyk said.

"Well…yeah." Kelly said. "There's been three fires in about three months! I'd call that a concern."

"Do any of your neighbors seem…_off_?" Hoskins asked.

"Well…I already told you about the guy down the block…Murdoch. He's a belligerent drunk…but I've got no reason to think he's startin' fires. He's the only one _I've_ had any problems with…" Kelly said.

"And it's a close neighborhood?" Allen asked.

"Yeah." Kelly told him. "I know everyone on my block…the kids are in and out of each others' houses all the time…there's always a couple parents outside with the kids…it's a _nice_ neighborhood."

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Despite the formation of the task force and the supposed sharing of resources and information…they couldn't pull evidence out of thin air. All they knew was that gasoline was used as an accelerant…there were pieces of glass that appeared to be from bottles…probably used to transport the gasoline…and charred bits of cotton fabric. All things that were probably readily available in almost every house in the neighborhood.

"Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Northeast corner of W. Byron and N. Meade…"

Severide heard the address and he ran out to the apparatus room.

"Hey, Severide!" Capp called out to him…"They don't need us for this!"

"That's right down the block from my house!" Kelly shouted.

He wanted desperately to just jump on the truck and go see what was going on himself. It was four o'clock in the afternoon…kids would be outside…Andy and Jesse _didn't_ need to see this…whatever the hell it was.

He pulled out his phone.

"C'mon…c'mon…pick up…" he muttered.

The call connected.

"Kelly?"

"Lyssa…there was just a call out to the corner of Byron and Meade. What's going on? Where are the boys?"

"They're in the playroom with Danny and Kevin and Connor…"

Thank God…they weren't outside.

"Can you tell what happened?" he asked.

Alyssa checked to make sure the kids were occupied and then she went to the front of the house and looked out the living room window.

"I can't see anything, Kelly. The truck's blocking whatever it is."

That was good too…if the kids came to the window they wouldn't see anything.

"Okay…" he said; his anxiety level more in check. "I'll see what I can find out here…if you hear anything, though, call me."

"Okay…I love you, Babe…" she said.

"Love you too…"

He clicked the button that ended the call.

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Truck 81 pulled back into the station.

And Kelly was waiting.

"Casey! What happened?!"

Casey climbed down from the rig and shrugged off his turnout coat.

"Mail box." He said. "Somebody threw a bunch of matches into the mailbox on the corner…burned up everything inside…but then the postal worker opened the box and the thing exploded in her face."

Dear God…

Kelly knew exactly which postal worker it was too…it had to be Sheila…

"Is she gonna make it?" he asked.

"Doubtful…" Casey said. "Third degree burns over at least fifty percent of her body…head, neck, torso…she had significant airway damage."

"This has gotta be the same person…the Garibaldi's, the garage on Dankin…" Kelly said.

"I wouldn't bet against it." Casey said.

But what he wouldn't give to be wrong…Kelly thought. Because being right meant that his nice, _safe_ neighborhood was home to a firebug.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

April gave way to May without any further incidents. But the whole neighborhood was on edge. People were watching one another with suspicion…every little thing was put under a microscope.

The task force had been expanded after the mailbox fire. Sheila, the injured postal worker, lingered for eight days before she succumbed to massive infection. The entire city was outraged and the Mayor was on every TV station shaking his fist and vowing that the perpetrator would be caught and brought to justice.

But there were no leads…everybody in the neighborhood had touched that mailbox at one point or another. It would take ten years to separate and analyze the fingerprints on the handle…even if that would bring about a viable suspect. Which, of course, it wouldn't.

Kelly and Alyssa tried to keep things as normal as possible for the boys…but even they noticed the increased police patrols in the neighborhood and they had learned how to make a 911 call in school.

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One afternoon Kelly was about to leave to get the boys when he got a phone call. And it was a call he had been dreading. He hung up just as Alyssa came down the stairs.

"Kelly? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He looked up at her.

"That was Charlotte…the Garibaldi's daughter. Mrs. Garibaldi passed away last night. She had another heart attack."

"Oh…no…" Alyssa said as Kelly opened his arms to her.

They held each other for a long moment.

"Let's go get the boys…"he said. "We can go together…"

He didn't want to be more than two feet away from her at that moment. He thought about how Mr. Garibaldi must be feeling…and quickly had to push that thought out of his mind. He and Alyssa were married almost seven years…and he knew he wouldn't be able to cope if anything were to happen to her. He couldn't even begin to fathom losing your partner of _sixty_-seven years.

"Okay." She whispered.

She was feeling the same way he was.

She grabbed a sweater and her purse and they left the house together.

Kelly draped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the block toward Melvina.

"Do we tell the kids?" he asked.

"I think we should…"

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Andy and Jesse were so excited that both Mommy _and_ Daddy were there to pick them up. They chattered on about a mile a minute all the way home.

They had less than a month of school left…then it would be summer vacation. Kelly and Alyssa had already rented a house in Door County with Nicky and Kathy and Kyle and Amy Riordan. They were gonna spend the whole week swimming and fishing…and the boys couldn't wait.

Kelly listened to them going back and forth at a dizzying pace…each boy finishing the other's sentences. Trying to keep up with the conversation was like refereeing a tennis match.

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When they got back to their house Kelly and Alyssa took the boys into the living room.

"Mom and I need to talk to you guys…" Kelly said as he sat down on the couch and took Andy into his lap.

Alyssa sat close beside him and picked up Jesse. Then Kelly put his arm around his wife so they were all together as a family.

"We got a phone call right before we picked you up…Mrs. Garibaldi passed away last night." He started.

"What does that mean?" Andy asked.

"That God took her away to live in Heaven…" Jesse said.

"Exactly…" Alyssa said.

"But why did God do that?" Andy wanted to know.

"She's been really sick ever since the fire at her house." Kelly told him.

"And God took her to Heaven so she wouldn't be sick anymore." Alyssa finished.

"Is Mr. Garibaldi gonna go to Heaven too?" Jesse asked.

"Some day…yes." Kelly answered. "He's been really sick too…but it's up to God to decide when."

After they had sent the boys upstairs to change out of their uniforms Alyssa moved closer to her husband, slipped her arms around him, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You okay, Honey?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he answered. "You know, if someone had told me nine or ten years ago that I'd be sitting here talkin' to my kids about God and Heaven…I'd have laughed in their face."

"Well…I'll let you in on a little secret."

"What's that?"

"I knew almost from the moment I met you that you had _so_ much love to give…if you'd just let someone in. And I was right. You're an _amazing_ husband, Kelly…and the best dad in the whole world to Andy and Jesse."

He gave her a little smile.

"Well…none of that could've happened without you."

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One night when Kelly was on shift, Lyssa woke with a start. She thought she heard something downstairs…like glass breaking.

She sat up and listened again. She didn't hear that sound…the one that woke her…but something felt _wrong_. She got out of bed and slid her feet into her slippers.

When she opened the door to her bedroom the noise was unmistakable…and there was a red/orange glow at the bottom of the stairs. She got about halfway down and saw her living room in flames.

She turned and ran back up the stairs and burst into Andy and Jesse's room.

"Wake up, boys! We have to get out of the house!"

She went first to Andy's bed and shook him awake…then she went to Jesse.

Both boys sat up rubbing their eyes…and Alyssa grabbed the throws from the foot of the beds and wrapped her sons in them.

God knows why…but she handed them each their stuffed toys they both slept with…before she scooped them up into her arms and headed down the stairs.

"Put your heads down!" she said. "Close your eyes!"

They got to the bottom of the stairs…and she decided it was too dangerous to try and go out the front door. So she ran through the kitchen to the play room. She set the boys down and quickly slammed the kitchen door behind her.

She opened the back door…and pushed on the screen door.

It was stuck!

She pushed harder…throwing her whole weight against it, knowing she'd probably go tumbling down the porch steps…but it only jammed tighter!

What was she going to do?

She didn't have a phone…it was upstairs by her bed.

She looked around…and grabbed one of the boys little wooden rocking chairs Uncle Matt had built. She used it to smash the glass pane at the bottom of the screen door.

She crawled through the small opening and out onto the steps.

"C'mon!" She called to the boys. "Come to Mommy!"

She carefully lifted the first twin she grabbed through the hole and set him outside the ring of shattered glass…then she grabbed the other.

"C'mon! We have to go out front!"

She grabbed them by the hands and they ran around the side of the house to the place Kelly had told them to go. The tree by the curb in front of the Garibaldi's house. He told them that if there was ever an emergency to wait there…and he would find them.

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Once they were out on the street Alyssa took a deep breath…and looked around.

She saw flames shooting out of her living room window…

"Mommy!" Andy tugged on her t-shirt. "Uncle Nicky and Aunt Kathy's house is on fire! And Danny and Kevin's house too!"

Three houses?

She blinked in surprise. All she could hear was the roaring flames.

"Mommy…your arm is bleeding." Jesse said.

Alyssa looked down…sure enough, blood was pouring from a gaping cut on her right forearm. She felt lightheaded…and she quickly sat down and tried to staunch the flow of blood with the bottom of her shirt.

"It's okay…"she said. "It's just a little cut…"

Her voice sounded very far away.

Don't you dare pass out! She kept saying that to herself. Don't you _dare_ pass out…_don't you dare pass out!_

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"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…6135 W. Boyle.

"Shit!" Kelly said as he jumped out of bed. He ran out to the apparatus room and started throwing on his gear.

Everyone else was doing the same.

Kelly climbed up in the rig. Hadley jumped behind the wheel.

"Lieutenant…that's…"

"That's my brother-in-law's place! Go…go…go!" he shouted.

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"Mommy!"

Andy shook Alyssa by the shoulder.

"Why doesn't anybody come out of Connor or Kevin and Danny's houses?"

Nobody came out?

Alyssa looked around in a daze. She was really struggling to stay awake.

"I don't know…" she mumbled.

They could hear the sirens in the distance.

"Is Daddy coming?" Jesse asked.

"Somebody is…I don't know who…"she answered.

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The Squad turned onto Boyle behind Truck 81.

"What the fuck?!"

Kelly saw flames shooting out of the _Riordans_' house…

And his own!

He jumped off the rig before it had even stopped rolling and ran toward his house.

"Daddy!"

He turned toward his sons' voices…there they were…right where he had told them to go.

Thank God.

He ran to his family and dropped to his knees. Alyssa looked out of it…and it only took him a second to realize she was bleeding…badly.

"Lyssa!"

She blinked her eyes at the sound of his voice. Everything was all right now…Kelly was there…

"Kelly! Check the boys!"

His eyes were wide with horror as he saw the blood covering the front of her shirt.

"Shay! Dawson! Over here!" he yelled.

The paramedics ran over.

"She's bleeding!" he said.

Shay shoved him out of the way and took over.

Kelly moved on to his boys. He opened his arms and hugged them close.

"Guys…what happened?"

"Mommy woke us up!" Andy started to cry.

"And the living room was on fire!" Jesse went on…

"And we went to the play room…but the door was stuck!" Andy continued.

"What do you mean 'stuck'?" Kelly was confused. Why would the back door be stuck?

"And Mommy broke the window and crawled out!" Jesse cried.

"Then she pulled us out!" Andy finished.

Kelly was in shock…he just held his boys.

"Okay….it's okay now. You're safe…"

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Shay had wrapped a pressure bandage around Alyssa's arm. She and Dawson transferred her to the stretcher.

"We gotta go, Kelly…" she said. "She's cut an artery…"

The two paramedics started to move Alyssa to the ambulance.

Kelly picked up his sons and followed them.

He and the boys climbed in back with Shay and Dawson jumped behind the wheel.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

They pulled up to the ER…

He followed the stretcher as Shay and Dawson barreled through the doors.

"Thirty eight year old female…radial artery laceration. BP fifty-six over forty…pulse 110…respirations 29…one liter of saline running wide open!"

None of that sounded good…Kelly thought.

They took Alyssa into a trauma bay.

A nurse came running up to him.

"Lieutenant Severide?" she asked…

How the hell does she know my name? he wondered.

Oh yeah…it was written across his back…

"Do you need help?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah…these are my sons…there was a fire…they need to be checked out…"

He was rambling…he knew it…

The nurse steered him and the boys to an exam room.

He took one more glance over at the trauma bay before he allowed himself to go with her.

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He set the boys down on the bed and took off his gloves and helmet…then he took off his turnout coat.

A senior resident came into the room…

"What have we got here?" he asked as he began to study the two boys sitting side by side with big tears rolling down their cheeks, hiccupping as they tried to stop crying.

"My sons…there was a fire in the house…I just want to make sure they're okay." Kelly told him.

"Of course…" the doctor said.

He turned to his patients…and he tried to put them at ease.

"Okay…" he said. "I think I'm seeing double…which one of you is the real thing?

He reached out to tickle Andy's side…and the little boy squirmed.

The doctor smiled.

"Okay…this one's real! What's your name?"

"Andy…"

"Hi Andy. I'm Dr. Reece. How old are you?"

"Six…"

"Well, I'm more than six…" Dr. Reece said with a grin.

Andy made a noise that was somewhere between a hiccup and a giggle.

Then Dr. Reece turned to Jesse.

"So this one must be a figment of my imagination!"

He reached out to tickle Jesse…who giggled.

"Aahhh! This one's real too! What's your name?"

"Jesse…"

Now that he had their confidence…Dr. Reece proceeded to examine both the boys…and made a little game out of it.

Then he turned to Kelly.

"There's no soot in their airways…their lungs sound clear…pulse ox is 98% and 99%. It looks like their exposure to any smoke was minimal.

Kelly breathed a sigh of relief…until Shay appeared in the doorway of the examining room.

"Kelly…they need you in there!"

He headed for the door.

"Stay with them!"

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He ran down the hall to the Trauma room.

The scene in there was very different than the room he had just left.

"What's going on?"

The doctor in charge looked up.

"Are you her husband?" he asked.

"Yeah…what's wrong with my wife?"

"She's lost a considerable amount of blood…we need to transfuse her."

"Do it!" Kelly said. "She's O positive."

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah…she's had transfusions before."

The doctor had seen all the scars…he'd have to get that history in a while.

A nurse came in.

"Doctor, STAT labs are up!"

The doctor stepped over to the computer jettison and clicked the mouse to read the labs.

He turned to Kelly.

"Mr. Severide? Were you aware that your wife is pregnant?"

Kelly staggered back a step like the doctor had just hit him.

"What!? No…"

He and Alyssa had been talking about having another baby…and she had stopped taking her birth control right before he hurt his knee. But her cycle had been irregular since her injuries eight years before…and it was nothing for her to miss a month…or even two.

But Kelly had no idea she was pregnant…and he doubted Alyssa knew either.

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Another nurse came into the room with a consent form he had to sign. He was in shock himself…and he barely registered what the doctor was telling him.

He scribbled his name on the paper and shoved the clipboard back at the nurse. Then he went to Alyssa's side.

He softly stroked one finger down her cheek.

"Lyssa?" he whispered, his voice choking with emotion.

She opened her eyes slowly…and Kelly felt his heart clench in his chest when he saw they were glazed over from shock.

"Kelly? Where are the boys?"

He could barely hear her…

"They're with Leslie…the doctor already checked them out. They're fine…you got 'em out so fast they weren't exposed to the smoke at all."

His eyes filled with tears as he just watched her lying there…and he wondered what was going to happen to the baby.

One of the nurses touched his shoulder and he looked up. She motioned him back…the doctor had to start a central line in order to deliver the transfusion.

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He heard commotion in the hall…and he went to the door of the Trauma room.

Stretchers bearing Kathy and his nephews and Amy Riordan and her boys were barreling down the hall.

And a code blared out over the PA system.

"CODE ORANGE!...ER!...CODE ORANGE!...ER!...CODE ORANGE!...ER!"

A mass casualty alert…

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Daylight was approaching as the team from Station 51 started to descend on the ER…

Everybody had one thing on their minds…Alyssa and the twins.

Casey went in to spell Leslie with the boys…and Leslie hurried back to Kelly.

He was sitting beside his wife…a far off look on his face.

"Kelly?" Leslie said as she approached him cautiously…so as not to startle him.

He didn't move.

And Shay had a flashback to eight…almost nine years ago when Alyssa had been so sick…to the night she almost died after developing pneumonia.

Kelly had had that same look on his face that night when he refused to leave her side.

That was when she had known that Lyssa was the one…

"Kelly? How's she doing?"

He looked up…like he was coming out of a trance.

"They gave her two units…" he said. "They're waiting for labs to see if she needs more blood…or if they have to take her to the OR."

He reached out to move a lock of hair away from her face.

"She's pregnant." He whispered.

Leslie's eyes went wide.

She wasn't sure she'd heard right.

"What?"

"She's pregnant…" he said again. "And she's prob'ly gonna lose it…"

Leslie squeezed her eyes shut, and swallowed hard.

They didn't need this…they didn't_ deserve_ this.

"Kelly…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What's going on out there?" he asked, changing the subject.

"The boys are fine…they've been watching them…they were able to eat and drink…O2 sats are excellent. They're probably gonna discharge them soon."

That was a problem…where were they gonna go?

Kelly didn't have a clue.

"What about the others? Kathy and Amy and the kids?"

"I can go find out." Shay told him.

He nodded and turned his attention back to his sleeping wife.

And Leslie backed out of the room.

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She ran into Mills and Dawson.

"Is the Lieutenant okay?" Mills asked.

"I don't think so…" Shay answered. "He says Alyssa's pregnant…"

All three of them knew the odds of keeping a pregnancy after the kind of trauma Alyssa had just had were slim to none.

Mills left the ladies and walked slowly to the room where Kelly and Alyssa were.

He tapped softly on the door.

"Lieutenant?" he said hesitantly.

Kelly looked up.

"What is it, Mills?"

"Lieutenant Casey said the doctors want to discharge Andy and Jesse…" he began. "Would it help if Gabby and I took them to our place for a couple days? Give you a chance to regroup a little?"

That was the best idea Kelly had heard all night.

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Alyssa would surely be admitted…and he had no place to go with the boys…his dad only had a one bedroom…and he was off on a fishing trip anyway.

And he'd just told his mother-in-law off not an hour ago.

Kelly imagined Nicky had called Joey…who probably called the rest of the family. And of course Nadine had come running in all hysterical.

And for some reason she lashed out at Kelly…like it was his fault. If only Alyssa had married Jonny DiNardo…none of this would have happened!

Well…he lost it.

"Are you fucking _kidding_ me?" he said. "Alyssa and I've been married for _seven years_…and you're _still_ stuck on Jonny DiNardo? Nadine…HE'S GAY! He was _never_ gonna marry Lyssa!"

He turned away and took a couple steps…then stopped and turned back.

"Alyssa and the boys are alive right now 'cause I'm a firefighter…we planned _exactly_ what to do in a fire in _every room_ of the house! And we drilled it into the boys…do you think your precious Jonny DiNardo could have done that?!"

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He decided to take Mills up on his offer…and Pete and Dawson made a quick run to Target and picked up some clothes and shoes and a few other things they'd need.

Kelly signed the boys discharge papers and took his sons in his arms.

"Listen…guys." He said. "I want you to go with Uncle Pete and Aunt Gabby, okay? Mommy's gonna have to stay in the hospital for a couple days…and she'll feel better if she knows you're safe."

"What about you, Daddy?" Jesse asked.

"I'm gonna stay here and take care of Mommy…"

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Benny jogged into the ER.

Boden had gotten a hold of him and told him what had happened. And Benny had jumped in his car and drove like a bat out of hell back to the city.

Boden was pacing the waiting room like an expectant father…his men spread out all around.

"Wally! What's going on? What do we know?"

Boden turned.

He never in his life thought he'd be glad to see Benny Severide…

"It's bad…" Chief said. Then he doubled back a little… "The boys are fine…no harm at all. They've already been discharged…"

"Where are they?" Benny wanted to see his grandsons for himself…to assure himself that they were all right and Boden wasn't just blowin' sunshine out his ass.

"They're with Mills and Dawson…they offered, and Kelly took 'em up on it."

Benny would have preferred the boys got with Casey or Shay…but he held his tongue.

"And Alyssa?"

"She cut herself on some broken glass trying to escape. She lost a lot of blood…" Boden told him.

"So what do we know?" Benny said again.

Boden heaved a heavy sigh.

"Three houses…fire started in the front…there's gasoline…if I had to guess, I'd say somebody threw a Molotov cocktail through the window." He said. "But here's where it gets interesting…the secondary escape routes were all obstructed…all three houses. Someone jammed the back doors so they wouldn't open."

"How?" Benny asked incredulously.

"In the case of Kelly's house they jammed a two by four under the door handle of the storm door. When Alyssa tried to force it open it only wedged tighter. I'm not sure about the others."

Benny wiped his hand down his face. He couldn't understand…who would want to hurt Alyssa and the kids?

"Benny…" Boden said. "Arson's stretched pretty thin on this one…they're gonna need all hands on deck. I'd like you to work with them…"

"I need to talk to Kelly first. My family's my first priority here."

"Absolutely…" Boden agreed. "He's back with Alyssa…"

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Benny went back to see his son.

"Kelly?"

"Pop…"

He went to hug his father. He was so glad to see him.

"How's Alyssa?" Benny asked.

"They're gonna take her upstairs soon…she lost so much blood…they had to give her four transfusions."

He drew a ragged breath.

"Dad…the doctor said she's pregnant…" he said, his eyes filling up with tears.

"Dear God…" Benny muttered.

He knew how much they wanted another child…

"She'll probably lose it…and even if she doesn't…the doctor told me he'd advise us to have an abortion…"

The tears ran down his face, and he angrily wiped them away. He had to keep it together for Alyssa.

"And how about the others?" Benny asked. "Do you know anything about them?"

He had spent plenty of time around Alyssa's brother's family and the Riordans in the five months he'd lived with Kelly…he felt close to all of them.

"Kathy…Amy…and Declan…they're being admitted here…smoke inhalation and second and third degree burns. The other kids…Aiden and Connor, Kevin and Danny are being transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital…"

Benny took a deep breath and let it out slowly…

"Kelly…Boden asked me to work with Arson on this…I told him I had to talk to you first. If you need me here…you just tell me what you want me to do."

Kelly looked at his father…and said in a low voice…

"I want you to find the sonofabitch who did this to my family."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Benny left the hospital and headed toward Kelly's house…but as he drove down Irving Park he decided to make a detour.

He was buzzed into the front office at St. Pasqual's.

"Hi, I'm Benny Severide…is Sister Therese available?"

He was ushered into the principal's office.

Sister Therese remembered him from all the times he had picked up and dropped off Andy and Jesse.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Severide?" she asked.

Benny suddenly realized he had no idea where to start.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but I just…wanted you to know there were three more fires in the neighborhood last night."

"WHAT!? THREE!?" the nun exclaimed.

The entire neighborhood was on high alert these days…and everyone knew about the fire at the old couple's home. They all prayed for the Garibaldi's…and Sheila, the postal worker…and their families on Sunday at Mass.

"Yes…" Benny said. "My son's house…the Boungiovanni's…and the Riordan's across the street."

"Oh…my goodness…"

Sister Therese made the Sign of the Cross.

All of the children in those families were students at the school…they were all members of the parish.

"I think I should call Father Joe to come over…" she said as she reached for the phone.

Father Joe Stenzel was a young associate pastor who was very involved at the school. He could regularly be found on the playground and he stood by the front door almost every morning and greeted every child and every parent by name. He was particularly good in dealing with the older boys who sometimes needed a firm hand to guide them.

Benny nodded in agreement.

While they waited for Father Joe he filled Sister Therese in on what few facts he knew.

Father Joe ran over from the Rectory when he got Sister Therese's phone call. He took a moment to straighten his jacket and wipe his brow with his handkerchief before he opened the office door.

"Good Morning…" he said as he shook Benny's hand. "I got here as fast as I could."

They all sat down again.

"Now…please…tell me what's happened."

Benny took a deep breath and told the story again.

Three simultaneous fires…accelerant present…secondary escape routes jammed…it looked like the arsonist who had been terrorizing the neighborhood for the past few months had just upped his game.

"So, I'm on my way over to meet with the Arson Investigators…I'll help however I can. But I thought you should know what happened. I'm sure all the families have their hands full right now…"

Father Joe needed to know one more thing.

"Mr. Severide…what about the children…and their mothers?"

"I don't know much. Andy and Jesse are fine. They've been discharged and they're with family friends. Alyssa is in the hospital…she's being treated for shock…she cut her arm trying to escape and she lost a lot of blood. All I know about the others is that they were all admitted with smoke inhalation and burns. The moms and the oldest boy…Declan…are at Lakeshore and the other boys were taken to Children's…whatever they're calling it now." Benny said. "I'll be happy to call you if I find out more."

"Please…keep us in the loop…" Father Joe said. "I'll go down to the hospital soon. But Sister Therese and I will inform the boys' teachers and I'll consult with Father Michaels and the other associate pastors about how to tell the students."

"Well, I'm sure you'll do whatever's best." Benny said as he stood up. "I'm on my way to my son's house…"

He shook hands with Sister Therese and the priest, and left the school.

Then he headed to Kelly's house…afraid of what he'd find.

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While the doctor was examining Alyssa, Kelly stepped outside to call Dawson and check on the boys. When he finished he went back into her room.

He leaned down to kiss her. She looked so tired. They had to give her another unit of blood…and they had blown the six hour window to suture her arm. They were too busy trying to save her life. But thankfully the arterial laceration had clotted on its own and they had decided not to take her to the OR. But they ran the risk of her developing an infection if they tried to close the skin laceration. So for now it was wrapped in bandages…and she was getting massive doses of antibiotics. And they still hadn't told her about the baby…that she would most likely lose.

"How're the boys?" she asked.

"Dawson said Mills took them to the diner for lunch then to the park. They weren't back yet."

"Pete better pace himself…" Alyssa said with just the slightest hint of a smile.

"Yeah…no kidding…"

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Benny pulled up behind the police tape and slowly got out of his car.

He was really conflicted on this…on the one hand…he was back doing something he liked, and was good at. But on the other hand…investigating a suspicious fire at his own son's house? He didn't know how he could check his emotions at the door and just focus on the facts. But his _son_ had asked him to do something…and Benny wasn't about to let him down…he _couldn't_ let Kelly down.

A man in his mid forties approached Benny.

"Are you Benny Severide?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

"Chief Boden told me to expect you. I'm Rich Allen…and I'm running point on this one. I can't tell you how glad grateful I am that you're able to help out."

"Well…I'm happy to be doing something." Benny replied. "Where are we?"

"Well…I've got three men on each house…we've already inspected all the electrical systems…just as a matter of protocol. We've detected accelerant in all three front rooms…we've found rocks in all three front rooms. Whoever did this wanted to make sure he broke those windows…"

"So the guy was never in the houses…any evidence of him will be outside…assuming it wasn't all washed away in the firefighting efforts…" Benny said, thinking out loud.

"Our best source for evidence is gonna be the back of Lieutenant Severide's house. The two by four our guy used to jam the door is still intact. And the fire didn't get back that far. Your daughter-in-law had the presence of mind to close the kitchen door behind her when she took her son's out that way. And it's a fire door…" Allen told him.

"Can we take a look?"

"By all means…"

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They went in the front door.

And what Benny saw just about made him sick. The entire downstairs was destroyed. The living room…the dining room…the kitchen…

Kelly and Alyssa were so proud of their home.

Allen led him to the front room…and Benny took a look around. There was broken glass everywhere…there was no way to tell what came from the arsonist and what was from the firefighters.

The room was pretty much a total loss…the couch…the rug…the bookcases and all of Alyssa's books. The TV was a melted lump of plastic…same with the DVD's and CD's.

"Well…not much to be learned in here…" Benny said.

"There's damage upstairs…but nothing in terms of evidence." Allen told him.

Benny began walking toward the kitchen.

The inside of the door leading to the four seasons room was charred. But the back hadn't been touched. The boys' play room was totally intact.

There was another solid door with two dead bolts that led outside. That door was wide open…and there was a gaping hole where the bottom pane of the storm door used to be.

Benny got down on his hands and knees and carefully stuck his head through the hole. There were still bits of jagged glass hanging around the edges…and Benny could see the blood…on the glass, on the steps…

There was a piece of two by four jammed hard beneath the handle on the storm door. Benny reached out a gloved hand and gave it a little shake…but it was wedged in tight. It didn't budge.

He looked at the edges.

"It looks like someone may have cut this exactly to fit…and they did a pretty sloppy job of it." He noted.

One more nail in the coffin of premeditation…if they caught the SOB, the cops could charge him with attempted murder.

Benny carefully drew his head back in.

"With a little luck there might be useable finger prints on that lumber. CPD should get it to the lab as soon as possible."

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Mills opened up the door to the diner and the bells jingled expectantly.

Andy and Jesse walked under Uncle Pete's arm and into the restaurant.

They ran right for their favorite stools at the counter.

Miss Ingrid hugged Uncle Pete.

"Peter…what brings you here? And why aren't Andy and Jesse at school?"

Mills took his mother's arm and led her a little further away from the boys.

"There was a fire last night…Lieutenant Severide's house was pretty much destroyed."

"My God…was anyone hurt?"

"Alyssa's in the hospital…and the Lieutenant's with her. Gabby and I told him we'd keep the kids for a few days. It's the least we could do." He said.

"Was Alyssa…"

Ingrid couldn't bring herself to say the word 'burned'.

Mills shook his head.

"No…she cut her arm on a broken window trying to pull the boys out. She lost a ton of blood and she went into hemorrhagic shock." He told her.

He gave his mom a long look. He knew she was feeling a lot of different things…but most of all fear. Fear for Kelly and Alyssa and the kids.

He clapped his hands together to get the twins attention.

"How about some grilled cheese sandwiches?" he asked.

Grilled cheese was the only "sandwich" they actually ate…bread and all…and only Uncle Pete's grilled cheese…with the "secret ingredient" that he would never tell them.

"Yeah!" Andy cheered.

"Can we have French fries too?" Jesse asked.

"Of course…" Mills told him…like he couldn't believe Jesse would ask such a question. "How can you have Uncle Pete's Grilled Cheese Sandwiches without French fries? That's just…un-American!"

The boys giggled…and that soon erupted into laughter.

Mills went behind the counter and grabbed paper hats and kids' crayons for the boys to entertain themselves with while he went to wash his hands and get their lunch.

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They brought Alyssa some lunch…and they brought a tray for Kelly too.

He took off the cover and looked at the hunk of mystery meat and mountain of mashed potatoes drowning in gravy.

"Honey…can you close that up? Please? The smell is making me nauseous." Alyssa asked him.

He slammed the cover back down in a hurry.

He'd call Shay and have her make a Subway run or something. If he ate whatever was on that tray he might end up in a bed next to his wife…with food poisoning.

Alyssa's tray with broth and jello actually looked more appetizing.

He went about setting up her tray…just like he had done so many years ago after she had been hurt.

"Don't bother, Kelly…I'm not gonna eat it." She said.

"Why? You've gotta eat something…"

"I'm not feeling well…my stomach keeps cramping up."

She didn't tell him she thought she was getting her period. Of course this _would_ be one of the months it would come…and right at that precise moment too.

Kelly felt his heart clench in his chest.

He forced himself to act normal…nonchalant…as he picked up the trays of food.

"I'll just take these out of here…" he told her gently.

Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you…"

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He set the trays back on the food service cart and hustled to the nursing station.

Alyssa's nurse was there.

She saw the look on Kelly's face and stepped over to the counter.

"Alyssa says she doesn't feel good. She says she's having stomach cramps…and she's nauseous."

"I'll call the doctor…" the nurse said as she reached for the phone.

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After she had paged the doctor, the nurse followed Kelly back to Alyssa's room.

Alyssa was sitting up in bed…looking down beneath the blankets.

"Lyssa?" What's wrong?" Kelly asked…thoroughly alarmed at how pale she looked.

"Mother Nature's got a sick sense of humor…" she muttered.

The doctor rushed into the room…a young woman about thirty with curly black hair clipped up in back.

Kelly stepped back to let her through.

"I'm Dr. Levitan…the chief resident. Your nurse said you were having some stomach cramps?"

Alyssa nodded. She had tears in her eyes.

She must really be in pain…Kelly quickly circled around to the other side of the bed to hold her hand.

"I think I'm getting my period…"Alyssa said quietly. "I felt this gush…and…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Suddenly she caught her breath and crushed Kelly's hand in hers.

He didn't know she could squeeze that hard…and he hurt for her.

Dr. Levitan moved the blankets aside…and Kelly looked away.

He knew what was happening…and he didn't want to see it…

"Alyssa…" Dr. Levitan said gently. "You're having a miscarriage."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

It was after four when Mills got back to his apartment with the twins.

After stuffing themselves on grilled cheese sandwiches and fries…and ice cream "sandwiches" for dessert…Uncle Pete took them to the park…then to Target to get some toys to play with.

He set the bags down on the coffee table and Andy and Jesse tore into them like Christmas morning.

Dawson laid her hand on Pete's arm and drew him aside.

"Leslie called a little while ago…Alyssa lost the baby." She said quietly, so the boys wouldn't overhear.

Mills closed his eyes for a moment.

Even though he understood that is was probably better this way…Lyssa and Kelly were such good parents…they deserved to have a dozen kids.

"How are they doing?" he asked.

"Leslie said Kelly was a wreck…"

Before either of them could say more…

"Uncle Pete! Can you get this truck out?" Andy called.

"Sure, Buddy…just a sec."

He squeezed Gabby's hand before he went to undo all the twist ties holding the toy truck in its box.

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Benny went back to the hospital…and he brought Rich Allen with him.

He got Alyssa's room number at the front desk, took the printed visitor's badge, and headed to the elevator.

But he wasn't prepared for what he found.

The room was darkened…Alyssa was asleep…and Kelly was sitting in a chair by the window, holding his head in his hands.

Leslie was crouched down beside him, her hand on his shoulder, whispering something Benny couldn't make out.

"Kelly? Did something happen? What's wrong?" he asked.

Kelly looked up at the sound of his father's voice.

His eyes were bloodshot…it was obvious he'd been crying.

"Alyssa miscarried…" he said, his voice choked with emotion.

Benny was silent…he didn't know what to say…how to comfort his son.

He hung his head.

"She got hysterical…they had to sedate her…" Kelly told him. "She's going to the OR later tonight for a procedure…"

Benny was just heartsick for the both of them. He knew they had talked about having another baby…he knew they wanted this.

"I'm sorry, Kelly…" he said. "Really…I am…this can wait for another time…"

Kelly stood up.

"No…Dad, tell me. Did you find anything?"

"Nothing we didn't already know. The police took the two by four jamming your back door to check for prints."

Rich Allen cleared his throat.

"We have teams canvassing for up and down your block and combing the alley ways behind the houses. If nothing turns up, we'll expand it."

"Yeah…it seems unlikely someone was walking down the street with an arm full of lumber…even at two in the morning." Benny said.

"I keep thinking about who could have done this, Pop…to hit me, Nick and Kyle personally…I keep coming back to Murdoch. I just think something's off down there."

" 'Off' is probably too polite a word…" Benny said.

"Murdoch is the plumber?" Allen asked, just to clarify. "Four doors down on your side of the street?"

"Yeah. He's an obnoxious drunk. I've had a couple run-ins with him 'cause I won't let his kid play with Andy and Jesse."

"The kid's a holy terror." Benny added.

"Do you know if your neighbors had problems with him too?" Allen asked.

"We all did." Kelly said. "Same reason…"

Allen nodded slowly…he had to talk to Nick Boungiovanni and Kyle Riordan and hear their stories…but he had a feeling he was going to be making this 'Murdoch's' acquaintance very soon.

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Kelly left the hospital for a little while after Alyssa came out of surgery. Her brother Joey was there in the room in case she woke up again…but he needed to go see his boys.

Shay went with him to Dawson and Mills's place. He was like a zombie…and it probably wasn't a good idea to be operating heavy machinery.

Dawson opened the door and her heart sank when she saw how…_exhausted_…Kelly looked. But she forced herself to smile.

She stood aside to let them in…

"Daddy!" Andy and Jesse yelled in unison.

They jumped up off the floor and scampered through the mine field of cars and Legos and action figures that was spread around the living room. Both boys launched themselves at Kelly and nearly knocked him on his ass…they were so happy to see him.

Kelly lifted his boys into his arms and held them tight. After everything that had happened…it was good to see them happy and having a good time.

He set them back on their feet and looked around. They had both showered…their hair was still damp and they had new pj's on. And the living room looked like the south annex of Santa's toy shop.

"_What_ is all this _stuff_?" he asked. "Did Christmas come twice this year?"

"Uncle Pete bought it…" Andy said. "And we went to the restaurant…"

"We had grilled cheese and French fries…" Jesse added.

"And chocolate chip cookies with ice cream in the middle…" Andy went on.

"So we had _two_ sandwiches…and then we went to the park. We went on the swings…"

"And Uncle Pete had to keep giving us underdogs…"

"Till he got too tired…then we played in the sand box…and on the twister slide…" Jesse continued.

"Then we went on the merry-go-round…and Uncle Pete pushed us really, _really_ fast!" Andy said.

"But then he got tired again…so we went to Target." Jesse finished.

Kelly chuckled and shook his head. He looked over at Mills.

"You're gonna sleep for a week after this." He said.

"At least…" Dawson muttered.

"How much do I owe you for all this stuff?" Kelly asked Mills as he reached for his wallet.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Lieutenant…"

"No…this is _a lot_."

"It's fine…" Mills insisted.

Dawson changed the subject.

"Kelly…you want some homemade pizza?"

"Yeah…Daddy! Aunt Gabby let us make our own pizzas! She let us put as much sausages and pepperonis as we wanted!" Jesse piped up.

"I can tell who's kids those are…" Gabby quipped. "They used about a pound of meat on each one!"

He shook his head again in wonder.

"Sure…I'm starving…" he said.

Gabby looked around him to the boys.

"Hey, guys? Want to make your dad's pizza?"

"Yeah!" they hollered and ran to the kitchen.

Mills followed them.

"What's the first thing we gotta do before we cook?" he asked.

"Wash our hands!"

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Unfortunately, things didn't look any better in the light of day.

Benny Severide was back in his son's neighborhood…and he and Rich Allen were going to talk to Murdoch.

Truthfully, neither of them expected a whole lot of co-operation.

Timmy was sitting on the porch steps when the two men turned up the walk.

Benny took a deep breath.

"Hi, Timmy. Do you remember who I am?"

"Yeah…you're Andy and Jesse's grandpa."

"Yeah…I am. How come you're not at school?" he asked.

"My mom said I don't have to go…" the kid replied.

Benny raised his eyebrows.

No… "off" didn't even begin to cover it…

"Are your parents home, Timmy?"

"Yeah…Mom burned the eggs…now she's in trouble."

Eyebrows went up even higher…

Benny and Allen walked past the truant third grader and climbed the steps to ring the bell.

They could hear Tom Murdoch's voice through the closed door and the screen.

"Get the goddamn door, Susan!"

This was getting better by the minute…Benny thought.

The door opened a crack…not even enough to make the chain go taunt.

The gaunt face of a woman appeared in the crack.

"Yes?" she said in a quiet voice.

"Are you Mrs. Murdoch?" Benny asked.

"Yes."

"We're from the CFD Arson unit…we need to speak to your husband. Is he available?"

She turned.

"They're from the fire department. They want to talk to you…" her voice was barely audible.

"Tell 'em to go fuck 'emselves!" Murdoch roared. "An' get your ass back in that kitchen an' fix my breakfast!"

Susan Murdoch turned back to the door.

"Now's not really a good time…my husband needs to go to work…"

"We only need a minute of your time." Allen said tersely.

She turned back to her husband.

"They're not going away."

They heard a crash…like maybe a chair falling over.

"You stupid bitch. You can't do a goddamn thing right."

Mrs. Murdoch was yanked away from the door…it slammed in Benny and Allen's faces…only to be pulled open a second later.

Tom Murdoch looked like he'd slept in the same clothes for three days…and he was breathing fire.

Benny actually had to take a step back.

He'd been known to tie one on before…and God knew he'd seen more than his fair share of drunks…

But this…

In his drunken stupor, Murdoch recognized Benny.

"You…what the fuck do you want?"

"We want to ask you a few questions about the fires Wednesday morning." Allen said.

"I don't know nothin' 'bout it…'cept the goddamn fire trucks woke me up."

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"C'mon Lyssa…you gotta eat something." Kelly cajoled her.

She hadn't eaten anything the day before…and she hadn't touched her breakfast. And Kelly was getting desperate.

"I can't…" she said.

He wiped his hand down his face in frustration.

"I don't know what to do here, Baby…" he said.

She looked up at him…tears threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment…again.

"Me either…"

He moved the tray table out of the way and sat beside her at the edge of the bed. He took her hands in his.

"I just want you to get out of here, Alyssa. I want us to go to Mills and Dawson's…get our boys…and go be together as a family. That's the only way we're gonna get through this."

She closed her eyes…and drew in a deep breath.

He was right…and she knew it.

He was hurting too…she could see it. He'd probably cried as much as she had over the loss of the pregnancy. But he was doing his best to be strong for her. And she owed him nothing less.

"I'll try…" she said.

Kelly breathed a sigh of relief.

He grabbed his phone off the bedside table and hit number two on the speed dial.

When the call went through…

"Shay? Where're you at? I need you to make a smoothie run…yeah…strawberry banana."

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Murdoch slammed the door in their faces.

Benny stalked off down the steps.

That guy was unbelievable…well, no…actually he was exactly like Benny thought he'd be.

He was going back to Kelly's house to try and find some evidence to nail this sonofabitch to the wall!

Rich Allen followed Benny down the steps of the Murdoch house.

Timmy still hadn't moved. And after the display Allen had just witnessed from the parents, he'd bet they didn't even know the kid was there.

Timmy looked up at Allen.

"Do you work for the policemen or the firemen?" he asked.

"I'm with the fire department." Allen told him. "We're trying to figure out how the fires down the block got started the other night."

"Did any of the kids die?" Timmy blurted out.

The bluntness of the question shocked Allen. It took him a minute to respond.

"No…no one died. They all got out in time." He said.

A dark look fell across the boy's face…and it chilled Allen to the core. He actually shivered.

"Did you think someone _did_ die?" he asked…not sure he really wanted to hear the answer. "Did you _want_ someone to die?

"I hate those kids…all of 'em. The never play with me. They never let me play with their stuff…And their dads tell me 'go home, Timmy'."

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Allen pulled out his phone to call Blanczyk, the detective working on the task force.

"Drew? Rich Allen here…listen I've got a theory…but we need to jump on this fast. I need you to get a unit over to 6128 W. Boyle. And we're gonna need a warrant."

He was deeply, deeply disturbed by the statements this boy had made. He knew there were statistics that said that over fifty percent of arson cases were perpetrated by juveniles…and some of those were seriously disturbed individuals who acted with premeditation.

But he had never seen anyone like Timmy Murdoch before. He couldn't help but feel he had just looked into the face of pure evil.

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Alyssa was sleeping again…and Kelly was relaxing in the recliner beside her trying to catch a few z's himself.

She drank more than half the smoothie Leslie had brought…and although it wasn't a lot…Kelly was happy to have finally gotten something into her.

He heard the door open, and he put the recliner upright again.

His dad and Rich were standing there…and he motioned for them to go back into the hall. Then he followed them out there.

"Did you talk to Murdoch?" he asked once he'd shut the door most of the way behind him.

"Oh, we talked to him all right." Benny said.

He still couldn't believe what had just happened in the past hour and a half. He had never seen anything like this in the ten years he was an Arson investigator.

"And?" Kelly asked.

Both Benny and Rich Allen looked at him with very serious expressions on their faces.

How do you tell a father that a nine year old wished his kids dead?

"What?" Kelly asked impatiently.

"I had a short conversation with the kid…Timmy…and he said something that just rubbed me all wrong. He asked if any of the kids had died in the fires."

He was weighing his words carefully…

"And he said he hated the kids 'cause they wouldn't play with him."

A look of sheer horror crossed Kelly's face. He wasn't sure he'd just heard right. Did Allen think this kid had set three fires and tried to kill ten people?

And this was living right down the block from him?

He slumped back against the wall.

"You're serious?" he said. "You think the kid might've done this?"

But it wasn't all that farfetched. He'd run across child fire-setters a few times…just never one this young.

"The police are executing a search as we speak. I think in light of all that's happened…not just the other night…but going back to the fire at the Garibaldi's…we need to examine everything with fresh eyes."

Kelly was still reeling from the whole idea that Timmy Murdoch might be behind all this.

"Yeah…do it. We gotta get this kid."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Allen's phone rang…and he stepped away to take the call. It was about as he had thought…gasoline in the garage…enough empty whiskey bottles to float an armada…a hand saw and some shabbily cut lumber. And Timmy's father had confirmed that the gas can was light…and that lumber he had stored in the garage for a project he meant to start was missing.

Timmy was being taken down to the precinct to be questioned in the presence of the Public Guardian.

His father was too drunk to cooperate.

But there was something else he wanted to talk to Kelly about…and the other men as well.

He hung up with the detective…and he walked back over to where Kelly was talking to his father.

He was telling him about how the kids were doing…

Rich cleared his throat.

"Kelly…I wanted to ask you something...unrelated to the investigation."

Kelly looked up expectantly.

"I don't know if you or your brother-in-law…or Kyle Riordan have made any plans about where you're going to go…I realize the others'll be in the hospital for a while…"

"No…I don't have any idea where my family's gonna go. I don't know that Nicky and Kyle have gotten that far either."

"You can always stay with me." Benny offered.

"How's that gonna work, Pop? You've got three rooms and a bathroom. We'll be ready to tear each other apart in about three days."

"Well…I may have a solution." Rich told him. "My mother owned an investment property about two blocks west of St. Pasqual's. It's a three flat apartment building…and I just had it completely renovated. If you want to move in there till your house is repaired…it's all yours."

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Kelly walked through the apartment with Rich Allen.

It was small…two bedrooms, one bath. It would be tight, but he knew they could make it work. It wasn't like he had a whole lot of options.

Casey had offered to let them stay with him…and Kelly was grateful…but he really wanted to be alone with his family…in their own place.

"It's perfect." He said. "We'll take it."

Nicky and Kyle were going to move in too. The third floor was a duplicate of this one…that would be fine for the Riordans. And the first floor was a little bigger. There was an extra bedroom in the back…and a second bath. Nicky, Kathy and their boys would take that one.

It was good that they were on the lower floor too. Declan was probably hurt the worst of anyone. He had been the one to discover the fire in their house…and he had pulled his mom and both his brothers out. But he had sustained burns on both arms and both legs…and he'd breathed in a lot of smoke. Kelly had gone upstairs to see him…and it was heartbreaking. He'd known Dec since he was six years old…and Kelly still remembered the little boy he'd dressed up in his turnouts and how the kid practically hyperventilated when he got a ride around the block in Truck 81. And when he asked his Uncle Kelly if he could still be a firefighter when he got older…Uncle Kelly almost lost it.

But looking around the empty apartment…it suddenly hit Kelly like a ton of bricks. He and Alyssa had lost most everything they owned. His dad said the only rooms in the house left untouched were the basement…his "man cave"…and the play room. So his toys and the boys toys were okay…the rest, their furniture, their appliances, their clothes was all gone.

He had insurance…but his house had to be gutted and totally renovated and refurnished. He couldn't really afford to furnish an apartment too.

Rich Allen must have read his mind.

He cleared his throat.

"My wife Julie is a great 'organizer'. And she's already been on the horn to a bunch of the department wives looking for pots and pans and dishes and bedding for all of you. She'll get you set up."

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There were efforts going on in the neighborhood as well.

Thursday morning, Father Joe, Sister Therese, and the pastor, Father Michaels had gone into Miss Corbett's kindergarten class and gathered all the children together.

They had already heard rumors of more fires…and Andy and Jesse were missing…so the entire class was anxious.

Father Joe gently broke the news that…yes, there had been a fire at Andy and Jesse's house…but that they were okay…they weren't hurt.

And the response was surprising…even to the priests and the nun.

Braden, the little boy Andy and Jesse had protected on the playground, wanted to know if all the twins' toys were gone.

Andy and Jesse Severide's play room was the envy of every boy in the class. They had a huge two story play firehouse that their Uncle Matt had built and every kind of fire truck imaginable.

Another boy, Trevor, wanted to know if the boys' uniforms were lost…and what would they wear to school.

A girl, Peggy, worried about their books and their bedroom.

Finally, little Vivvie raised her hand.

"Father Joe? Do you think we could share our stuff with Andy and Jesse?"

There were whispers and mumbles of agreement.

"Yeah…" Trevor said. "They could have one of my extra uniforms."

Half a dozen other boys volunteered their extra uniforms too.

"I got some books for my birthday and I read them already…" Braden said. "I could give them to Andy and Jesse."

Father Joe nodded his approval.

"That's a wonderful idea, kids. I'll write a letter to all your parents and you can take it home and talk about what you can do to help your friends. I'm very, very proud of you for thinking of it."

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There were similar announcements in the first grade classrooms where Conner and Kevin were students, Danny Riordan's second grade class, Aiden's fourth grade room and Declan's seventh grade room. Then that afternoon there was a school assembly.

After they all prayed for all the children and their families, Father Joe announced that the school would be collecting donations of new or gently used clothing, household items, and toys to help the Severide, Boungiovanni and Riordan families get through the next few months.

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Saturday Kelly went with Shay and Casey to see about renting some furniture and purchasing beds for the apartment.

He worried about everybody taking off work. Second Watch was supposed to be on…but Dawson and Mills still had the twins with them and Kelly had crashed at Shay's the night before. But everyone swore up and down that they had time to take and were happy to help.

Alyssa was discharged on Sunday…and Kelly had brought her some new clothes Leslie had picked out. She got dressed, signed her discharge papers…then she and Kelly went over to Dawson and Mills's place to pick up the twins.

Each one came with a black plastic trash bag full of new clothes, new toys, new pillows and various other sundry items like new toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, etc.

Kelly tried again to pay Mills for all the stuff…but Pete insisted his money was no good.

Then Kelly drove to the apartment building.

Casey and Shay were waiting there because the beds had been delivered while Kelly was picking up Alyssa and the boys. And Rich Allen and his wife had come to deliver the things Julie had collected so far from the department wives.

They boys looked around their new place.

"Are we gonna live here now, Daddy?" Jesse asked.

"For a while, Buddy. While our house is getting fixed up. But this is close to your school…and all your friends…and Mr. Allen is letting us stay here.

At first Rich didn't want to take any money from Kelly for rent…but Kelly insisted. He was allowed a year's living expenses in his insurance policy, so he and Rich agreed on a fair price.

Other firefighters came too…Hermann's wife Cindy had found a nice table and chairs at an estate sale in Winnetka on Saturday…and they brought it over. She'd also found a couple of lamps and a coffee table.

"I don't know how to thank you for this…" Alyssa told her with tears in her eyes.

"It's okay…we lost out home in 2012…and I remember how lost I felt then. If there's anything I can do for you…help you with the boys…whatever…you just pick up that phone."

Once everyone had gone, Kelly took Alyssa in his arms.

"Kinda takes you back, doesn't it?" he asked…referring to their first apartment.

"I just can't believe how everyone's jumped in to help us. I mean, I hardly know Cindy Hermann and she just took it upon herself to go all the way out to Winnetka and find us a dining room set. A _really_ _nice_ dining room set. And I never met Rich and Julie Allen before…and they got us an apartment…and she got all the kitchen goods…"

Julie had gotten more pots and pans and baking ware than Alyssa had had before. Not to mention two sets of dishes…flatware…glassware and sheets and blankets for all three beds. And towels for the kitchen and bathroom. She must have been on the phone for two whole days.

"Well…it's like I've been telling the boys all along…firefighters always take care of their own." Kelly told her.

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While the Severide's were settling in to their new place, things were heating up with the investigation.

Detective Blanczyk had spent the better part of the weekend gathering background information on the Murdoch's. And what he learned was not exactly earth-shattering news…but it was not the kind of thing you wanted to find out was going on in your own back yard.

Timmy Murdoch had been transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility. That had been a huge problem…where to hold him. He was too young for the temporary detention facility…and clearly he couldn't remain in the custody of his parents.

His father had flown into a rage when he learned that he couldn't take his son home and taken a swing at Blanczyk…so he was locked up in a cell awaiting transfer to the County Jail.

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It was a rough night in the new apartment.

The boys…even though they were happy to be back with Mommy and Daddy…were anxious about sleeping in a new place…and they wound up in bed with Alyssa and Kelly.

They debated keeping them home from school a few more days…to let them get acclimated to the new apartment…but in the end Kelly insisted they had to try to just go about their normal routine. And that meant him going back to work his next shift…and the boys going to school.

Kelly had sent Leslie out to replace the boys' uniforms…and the next day he walked them the two blocks in the other direction to St. Pasqual's.

It was a relief for the boys to get to school…to be wearing their uniforms…to be back with their friends. At least nothing there had changed.

Kelly dropped them off and then headed to the office. He had to give them the new address and he wanted to make sure there were enough emergency contacts listed in case there was a problem.

He was mentally going through all the things they had to do today…get Alyssa a new phone, get the mail heading to the apartment, get Comcast out for cable, phone and Internet…

And now that the police had released the house as far as being a crime scene, he had to get in there to see what, if anything might be salvageable. He hoped some of their clothes could be cleaned because his credit cards were already crying after all the things he'd had to buy.

The secretary buzzed him in.

"Hi…I'm Kelly Severide…Andy and Jesse's dad. I need to update some information."

Sister Therese came out of her office.

"Mr. Severide…"

The normally reserved woman reached out to give him a hug.

"How is your wife doing?" she asked.

She had learned from Father Joe about the miscarriage. He had gone to visit the hospital the evening after the fire…and he'd gotten there in time to pray with Alyssa and give her a blessing before she'd gone into surgery.

"She's…doing okay. It's a lot to deal with." He replied.

He wasn't sure if the school had gotten the rest of the story…about Timmy…he knew once that part came to light major shit was going to hit the fan.

"Do you have a few moments? There's something I need to show you." Sister Therese said.

"Sure…"

She led him down the hall to a conference room, opened the door, and turned on the light.

Kelly was stunned speechless by what he saw.

The entire room was full of boxes and bags divided into three groups…one with his name on it, the others for the Boungiovanni's and the Riordan's.

"What's all this?" he asked in awe.

"Some things we've collected for your families. It was actually the kindergarteners' idea. They were concerned that Andy and Jesse had lost their toys and their clothes…so they decided to share. Then we put it out to the whole school…and Father Michaels announced it at all the Masses this weekend."

Kelly walked slowly into the room…and looked over the clothes…the toys…everything. There was more than enough to set up three households…it was most everything they needed.

"I don't know what to say…" Kelly's voice was choked with emotion. "Thank-you doesn't even begin to cover it."

"Well…we're happy to do it." Sister Therese said gently. "Andy and Jesse are very important to all of us here at school…all the children are. This is truly a family we have here…and when one hurts, we all hurt."

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There was one more thing to do.

Casey, Mills, Shay, Chief and Hermann all accompanied Kelly to his house to look around.

Dawson had stayed at the apartment with Alyssa. There was no way in hell he wanted her to see this.

Slowly they began to sift through the mess to see what might be saved.

It was a monumental task. Everything had to be itemized and catalogued for the insurance company…but that could wait another day.

They managed to rescue some of the boys clothes…all their "My Dad is a Firefighter" t-shirts. But their little "turnouts" that they wore for Halloween and to play firefighter in had melted into a lump of rubber and plastic.

In the end, they left the house with a couple plastic garbage bags full of clothes and Alyssa's jewelry.

Kelly was grateful for that…he and Alyssa had a thing…for every 'occasion'…birthday, anniversary, and every milestone in their relationship he had given her a heart necklace. They were nothing fancy, most of them were costume jewelry or stuff he found on EBay…but each one was different. It was cheesy, he knew…but it was his way of telling her she always had his heart.

As they were leaving the house…four doors down, Tom Murdoch was just getting home, having spent the weekend in lock-up after being charged with assaulting an officer.

Kelly dropped the bag he was carrying and started to charge down the block. He didn't care that Murdoch himself hadn't actually been the one to light the match or throw a bottle full of gasoline through his window…he was ready to tear the man limb from limb just for spawning the person who did.

The firefighters jumped into action…but four men almost weren't enough to keep Kelly back.

He fought and strained against his friends…his 'brothers'…

"Murdoch! You sonofabitch!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

And Murdoch…who for once was actually sober…took one look at Kelly…and had the good sense to run into his house.

"Murdoch! Get your ass back here!"

The men backed him down…and slowly the fight drained out of him.

"Don't do it, Kelly…" Chief told him in low even tones. "Let the police handle this."

"Yeah…your family needs you." Hermann said. "Not locked over this piece of shit."

"He's not worth it, Severide…" Casey told him. "He's not worth it."

But they all stared down the block at the offending house. And every single one of them wanted nothing more that to pick up a Halligan and go ring the guy's bell.


	15. Chapter 15

**Epilogue**

As spring gave way to summer, Andy and Jesse started to find their rhythm in their new home. They missed their house and the space they had to play…and their yard. Now Daddy had to take them to the park to toss the ball around or shoot baskets.

They were into baseball now…and Kelly was so proud of his boys. He wasn't just being modest when he told everyone they were the best players on the team. If only he could keep Andy from going after the little kid who liked to play in the dirt on the pitcher's mound…

"But Daddy! If he wants to dig in the dirt he needs to go over in the sandbox! He let the ball go right past him 'cause he wasn't payin' 'tention!"

And Kelly had to bite back a grin.

He had gone after Jimmy Riley for the exact same thing when he was a kid. The only difference was his dad wasn't there to stop him.

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He really cherished the time with the kids…he and Alyssa were trying to keep things as normal as possible for them. But it wasn't easy.

At first Andy and Jesse would wind up in their bed nearly every night…and he would force himself to carry them back to their room and sit with them till they fell back asleep.

But Lyssa let them sleep with her when he was on shift.

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Kathy and Amy and their boys came home one or two at a time. And it was good that they were all together in the same building…so they could help each other with all the new things that were part of their daily lives…like pressure garments and night splints and physical therapy.

The damage could have been a lot worse…but it was hard for Kelly to see his nephews with burns…especially Declan. The thirteen, almost fourteen year old boy tried so hard to be brave…but sometimes Nicky had to call Kelly downstairs to help when he didn't know how to calm his son.

It was hard for Andy and Jesse to understand why they were okay and Connor had a burn on his arm and his chest…and Danny had burns on his back…and Kevin on one side of his neck and shoulder…and a little on his face.

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The family from the firehouse was great for them. Uncle Pete took them to the pool and worked with them on their swimming. He and Aunt Gabby took them to North Avenue Beach. Aunt Leslie took them to every movie…and stuffed them full of frozen yogurt.

Uncle Matt stopped over almost every day for dinner…'cause he was busy fixing their house.

It sure paid off to have a buddy who moonlighted as a general contractor…

Actually, he was overseeing the renovations on all three houses…so Matt Casey Construction was solidly in the black that summer.

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And he kept Kelly up to date on what was going on on the block.

Timmy Murdoch had been taken to a juvenile detention facility in Michigan where he'd stay till he turned twenty one. Hopefully he'd get the help he needed there and learn a few skills and go on to live a productive life.

Once it came to light how Tom Murdoch had been terrorizing his family and abusing his wife and son…Susan Murdoch's brother had swooped down from Northern Wisconsin and taken his sister away to live with his family and get the help she needed. Tom put up a fight at first…she was his property, after all…but like the true, yellow-bellied coward he was, he backed down when his brother-in-law stood up to him toe-to-toe. Fine…he said. Take her…she's stupid and lazy and not worth a damn anyway.

And his brother-in-law had laid the drunken sot out with one punch.

What Kelly wouldn't have given to be there for that…

It was about two or three weeks after that that Murdoch had driven his car onto an off ramp on the Kennedy and seriously injured a family of five. Of course, he had walked away with barely a scratch…but he was going away for a long time.

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And one day in late August Kelly came home after a shift from hell.

Lyssa's oldest brother Tony and his wife had taken the boys to Lake Geneva for the day. Their kids were in their twenties and Tony said having his nephews around kept him young…

Whatever…Kelly was just grateful for some alone time with his wife.

He walked in the door to his apartment.

"Lyssa!" he called out. "I'm home!"

Alyssa emerged from the bathroom and ran into his arms.

She had tears streaming down her face…and immediately Kelly felt his heart stop beating.

"Lyssa…what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

She nodded and hugged him tight.

"I'm pregnant, Kelly!" she said, he voice choked with emotion. "I'm pregnant! We're gonna have a baby!"

He peeled her back and looked at her for a moment…not really registering what he'd just heard.

Then it hit him…

"A baby? Oh my God! Are you serious?"

She nodded through her tears.

And Kelly pulled her close and held her tight.

A baby…

3


End file.
